Getty Harrison Butker celebrates after kicking the game-tying field goal against the Buffalo Bills.
The late-game collapse against the Kansas City Chiefs may still be having some major ramifications for the Buffalo Bills coaching staff.
There has been plenty of blame passed around for the team’s failure to stop the Chiefs after Josh Allen threw the go-ahead touchdown with just 13 seconds remaining in the game. The Chiefs struck back almost immediately, racing down the field in two quick plays to get into field goal range. After making the tying kick, the Chiefs won the coin toss and promptly drove 75 yards for the winning touchdown, sending the Bills to a long and painful offseason.
Now, one of the team’s coordinators who took some of the blame for the disastrous ending in Kansas City may have lost his job over it.
The latest Bills news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Bills newsletter here!
Bills Special Teams Coordinator Moving On
Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported on Wednesday that Bills special teams coordinator Heath Farwell was leaving to take the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars. There was some immediate speculation that Farwell’s role in the loss to the Chiefs may have played a role.
Joe DiBiase, the pregame host for the team’s official radio broadcast, speculated that the decision to send the kickoff into the endzone for a touchback rather than kicking short and forcing the Chiefs to spend some precious seconds on a return could have been a factor in the team’s decision not to retain Farwell.
Some believe that Bills head coach Sean McDermott had subtly pointed to Farwell and kicker Tyler Bass to assign blame for the loss. After the game, McDermott refused to get into specifics, but did mention that the team failed to execute over the final 13 seconds of the fourth quarter.
“I’m still going to get into specifics on that. It comes down to execution. We didn’t execute,” McDermott said, via NBC Sports’ ProFootball Talk.
As Matt Bove of WKBW in Buffalo noted, McDermott may have been hinting that Bass was supposed to kick short of the endzone but did not.
“Reading between the lines here but McDermott doubling down on the execution line makes me believe he didn’t want a touchback but also doesn’t want to specifically call anyone out on the play. That’s my read on the situation,” Bove tweeted.
Bills Name Replacement
The Bills wasted little time in moving on from Farwell, announcing on Thursday that assistant special teams coach Matthew Smiley was being promoted to the job. The team credited Smiley with playing a key part in some recent special teams successes, including Bass becoming the first kicker since Dan Carpenter to record consecutive 100-point seasons. Bass also set a franchise record with 141 points in 2020.
The Bills also noted that Smiley played a role in some recent return successes, including helping kick and punt returner Andre Roberts earn Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors in both 2019 and 2020.
Matthew Smiley has been named the @buffalobills special teams coordinator.
The Bills have seen some significant changes to their staff since the conclusion of the season. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll was named the head coach of the New York Giants, prompting the Bills again to promote from within, making quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey the new offensive coordinator. They also brought in former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady to serve as the new quarterbacks coach.
READ NEXT: Former Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Goes Shirtless at Frigid Playoff Win