The Bills are entering a critical season, one that feels like it’s on the line for a Super Bowl or nothing else. When Buffalo fired head coach Sean McDermott after the season and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, it sent a clear message: the Bills are determined to reach the big game now.
However, should a first-year head coach like Brady be expected to lead a team to the Super Bowl in his first season in the NFL?
Brady Was Hit With a Reality Check
WIVB’s John Murphy doesn’t think that Brady and the coaching staff are cut out to win the Super Bowl this season.
“With two preseason games down, one to go, they’re scoring plenty of points. Their re-fitted defense has looked solid against a couple of last year’s also-rans,” Murphy wrote on Monday. “They’re pretty healthy and they’ve got a brand-new playpen in which to frolic. Only one thing is missing. One thing will hold them back this year. Their head coach. Joe Brady has been flawless since becoming the new coach of the Bills. He’s passed every test, answered every question, handled every potential controversy. He just hasn’t done it enough.”
Murphy has seen many Buffalo games up close over the years, as he was the Bills radio voice for 35 years before stepping away in 2024. But he may be wrong about Brady and this season’s Bills.
The Bills Should Have a Chance at the Super Bowl This Season
Just because Brady is in his first year as a head coach doesn’t mean he can’t win the Super Bowl. Murphy mentioned two coaches who have won the Super Bowl in their first year as head coach, and Brady could follow that same path.
“Two coaches in their first year as a head coach have won Super Bowls: Don McCafferty with the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V and George Seifert of the Super Bowl XXIV champion 49ers,” Murphy added. “In Seifert’s case, he inherited a Super Bowl champion from Bill Walsh the year before. In both cases, both McCafferty and Seifert had at least a decade on the staffs of their teams before becoming head coach.”
Although Brady hasn’t inherited a Super Bowl team as Seifert did with the 49ers, he has inherited one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, Josh Allen.
With Allen on the field, the Bills have a chance to win every single game, and that is something not many coaches can say about their quarterback. If Allen gets hot in the postseason and the Bills can play above-average defense, there is no reason why Buffalo can’t win the Super Bowl this season.
The AFC isn’t as strong as many people think. The New England Patriots made it to the Super Bowl last season after finishing 4-13 the year before. The Kansas City Chiefs, who have been the top team for the last seven seasons, took a significant step back last season when quarterback Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL. Mahomes may not return to 100% this season.
There is no reason why the Bills shouldn’t have a chance to compete and even win the AFC this season and make a run at the Super Bowl.
Bills HC Joe Brady Faces Brutal Reality Check With Under-3-Week Countdown to Season