The Buffalo Bills jumped out to their best record in more than three decades with Sunday’s win over the Indianapolis Colts, but head coach Sean McDermott isn’t taking much time to bask in the accomplishment.
McDermott spoke after Sunday’s win about the work needed for the Bills to prepare for the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, who are coming to Buffalo for a regular-season game for the first time since 2020. The Bills have a chance to move into striking distance of the top overall seed in the AFC with a win, but McDermott had a warning for his team about what it would take.
Sean McDermott Setting High Expectations
The Bills were able to move beyond some uncharacteristic mistakes — including two interceptions from quarterback Josh Allen — in Sunday’s win over the Colts. After the game, McDermott shared some praise for the preparation his team put into the game.
“The expectations that we have for ourselves are the most important ones,” McDermott told reporters after the 30-20 win over the Colts on Nov. 10.
McDermott added that the Bills expect a similar level of preparation for the Chiefs, who moved to 9-0 after blocking a field goal in the final seconds of Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos. The Bills head coach warned that it would take a sharp focus for the Bills to take down the Chiefs.
“We certainly understand everybody putting a lot into this coming game, and we will too, but we put a lot into every game,” McDermott said. “If we don’t, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. We owe that every week to ourselves and our fans to put the same preparation into every week. It’s a good football team that’s coming in, an undefeated football team and well coached. So, we have a ton of respect for them. So, we’ve got to see if we can get a little bit healthy here, and put the week of preparation in and move forward from there.”
Bills Face Big Opportunity
The coming week’s matchup with the Chiefs could have massive implications for the Bills, starting with the division. As ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg noted, the Bills have taken a firm grip on the AFC East with a strong chance to clinch their fifth straight division title before the end of the month.
“The Bills left Indianapolis with a 30-20 win to improve to 8-2 on the season, the team’s best record through 10 games since 1993 (also 8-2) and the first win over the Colts in Indianapolis since 1998 (lost six straight),” Getzenberg wrote. “The victory stretches the Bills’ lead in the AFC East to five games, tied for the largest division lead through 10 weeks in the last 30 seasons, per Elias Sports Bureau, joining the 2002 Green Bay Packers and 2011 San Francisco 49ers.”
The Bills also have a chance to make up ground on a position that has eluded them through the last four seasons, the No. 1 overall seed. Though the Bills have lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs in three out of the last four seasons, Buffalo has had much more success in the regular season, winning the last three meetings between the teams.
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Bills HC Sean McDermott Issues Warning to Team Ahead of Chiefs Game