MITCH HORUCY
Asst. Sports Editor
Image Property Of The Buffalo Bills
In what has become my favorite tradition of the past few years, it’s another heartbreaking end to the season for the Buffalo Bills.
More specifically, it came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs for the fourth time in the last five years.
The final score was 32-29, and the game was just as good as advertised.
As there should be, there’s a ton of different reactions to the game from Bills fans and the media.
Unfortunately, the biggest story of the game was the officials, especially with a few key plays.
First off, the NFL is not rigged.
Secondly, both of these things can be true; the refs made awful calls that had a huge impact on the Bills’ chances of winning, and the Bills didn’t lose because of the refs.
One of the plays that is brought up is the Xavier Worthy catch that was challenged and confirmed after review.
It was a bad call, and it should’ve been ruled incomplete.
But even if it was ruled an incomplete pass, the Chiefs would’ve gotten the first down anyway, as there was defensive holding on the Bills.
The other call that will live in NFL history is the fourth-and-1 play that was called short, reviewed and then upheld. On the play, Josh Allen ran a quarterback sneak behind the left side of the offensive line and was marked short despite many viewers believing he’d crossed the yellow line.
This will likely live in infamy as one of the worst calls and biggest official blunders in league history.
It’s also a great showcase of one of the game’s flaws: the spotting of the ball…
Having two line judges run onto the field and mark the ball down after watching the play from roughly 20 yards away cannot be the best option the league has.
In just this play, you had the two line judges run in to spot the ball, with about a full yard of distance between them.
Even after a review where it seemed as though numerous shots were showing Allen reaching the line to gain, it wasn’t overturned.
With that being said, the blame still cannot be on the officiating.
Allen got the ball back with 3:33 left on the clock with a chance to win, and he came up short.
As the Bills start their offseason, many people are calling for changes.
However, Sean McDermott shouldn’t and will not be fired.
Even though it’s another disappointing loss, he’s a high-level coach and he proved it this year.
However, I think it’s very reasonable to want to have him replaced.
My thoughts on the matter are all over the place.
In my opinion, the choice should be up to Josh Allen to determine whether he wants to replace McDermott.
The team was lucky when offensive coordinator Joe Brady announced that he’d be returning for another year. Next year, he’ll likely be one of, if not the hottest head coaching hires in the cycle.
He led Allen to possibly the best season he’s had as a pro with maybe his worst supporting cast.
After next season, if the Bills fail to win the Super Bowl or win fewer than eight games, McDermott will likely be in the same position as he is now.
If Allen talks to General Manager Brandon Beane and decides that Brady is more crucial to his success, you simply have to pick Brady.
As good a coach as McDermott is, it’s easier to replace him than Josh Allen.
Without getting too much into free agency and moves the Bills should make, there’s one that should be made as soon as the Super Bowl hits triple zeros.
That move is to trade for defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Entering his age 28 season, Crosby is the game wrecker that Von Miller never was.
Since 2020, he’s seventh in sacks in the league and second in tackles for loss.
He’s expressed his love for the Raiders organization but has also spoken about how he wants to win.
After hiring Pete Carroll and still not having a true plan for a quarterback, it may be a few years before the team is in a spot to compete.
With two years left on his contract, he has a $24 and $27 million cap hit for the next two seasons.
That could likely be reworked if the Bills extend him to bring that number down a bit.
Since Crosby is under contract, Buffalo would have to trade for him.
A trade that could be looked at that would have a similar framework would be the Bears and Raiders trade for Khalil Mack in 2018.
Both players were 27, but Mack already had a Defensive Player of the Year award and two First-Team All-Pros under his belt.
That trade was:
Bears Receive:
Khalil Mack
2020 Second-Round pick
2020 Fifth-Round pick
Raiders Receive:
2019 First-Round pick
2020 First-Round pick
2020 Third-Round pick
2019 Sixth-Round pick
While I don’t think it’ll take as much to get Crosby, it’ll likely still take at least a first-round pick and a mid-round selection or two.
After another disappointing end to the season, it’ll be another offseason of retooling and reloading for the Bills.
Keep an eye out for a more in-depth look at free agency once we get closer to the start date of March 12.