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Bills Coaching Staff, Special Teams Grades at Week 12 Bye

The Buffalo Bills were ticketed for a transition year. Now they're competing for the AFC's top seed. How much credit goes to the coaches?
Bills grades

The Buffalo Bills faced uncertain expectations heading into the 2024 NFL season after an offseason roster overhaul led to the departure of several longtime franchise cornerstones. Head coach Sean McDermott and his staff deserve a lot of credit for keeping the team in Super Bowl contention.

Buffalo entered its Week 12 bye with a 9-2 record. It’s the second-best mark in the AFC behind only the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (9-1), and the Bills own the tiebreaker after their head-to-head over K.C. in Week 11. As a result, the conference’s No. 1 seed is still up for grabs.

We’ve already handed out grades to the Bills’ offensive players and defensive players as part of the bye-week review. Now it’s time for a look at the coaches and key special teams contributors.

Buffalo Bills Bye-Week Grades (Coaches, Specialists)

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Sean McDermott (A-)

McDermott isn’t perfect. We’ve already spent time this season discussing his conservative tendencies as a defensive-minded coach and his consistently poor usage of second-half timeouts. Those things may never change as he navigates his eighth season leading the Bills.

That said, the 50-year-old Nebraska native has proven himself as both a great motivator and one of the league’s best defensive minds. His game plan alongside defensive coordinator Bobby Babich against the Chiefs on Sunday was fantastic.

McDermott also deserves credit for making sure the internal narrative never changed. Although much of the outside noise before the season suggested the Bills may fall behind the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets in the AFC East, there was never a lack of confidence at One Bills Drive.

A head coach’s job goes far beyond X’s and O’s. It’s about mindset. It’s about keeping players focused on the ultimate goal amid what can be a grueling 17-game regular season. In that regard, the former Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers are among the NFL’s best.

In addition, McDermott has shown progress in his fourth-down decision-making. The best example came late Sunday when he opted to keep the offense on the field instead of kicking a field goal that would have put Buffalo ahead of Kansas City by five. Quarterback Josh Allen proceeded to score a 26-yard touchdown to seal the win.

“They’re just way too good to not go for it there,” McDermott told reporters.

He’ll probably never become the league’s most aggressive coach. His longtime defensive background will prevent it. But he’s come a long way in that area, and it’s helped the Bills win more games.

Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady (B+)

Brady coined the phrase “Everybody Eats” before the campaign. It explained his mentality of how the Bills offense was going to replace Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis. Those two wide receivers combined for 241 targets last season before their offseason departures.

It hasn’t been a flawless transition. The Buffalo passing game has endured some rocky games, which necessitated a trade with the Cleveland Browns for veteran wideout Amari Cooper, but for the most part, the offense as a whole has kept clicking without those two marquee names.

Brady also deserves a lot of credit for creating a plug-and-play system that’s allowed the unit to overcome an endless stream of injuries.

Running back James Cook is sidelined against the Seattle Seahawks? Rookie backup Ray Davis tallies 152 total yards in his place. Cooper misses time with a wrist injury following the trade? Journeyman receiver Mack Hollins steps in with 86 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

The result is an offense that ranks third in points per game (29.1) despite having plenty of room for improvement during the stretch run of the regular season. It’ll be a tough group to stop if the playmakers around Allen can get fully healthy before the playoffs.

Brady was one of football’s brightest young stars in coaching after his work as the passing game coordinator at LSU during its 15-0 championship season in 2019. His stock dropped after jumping to the NFL for a two-year stint as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator, though.

Now, the 35-year-old William & Mary product is back in the spotlight and thriving. He’ll probably attract some head coaching interviews if the Bills’ success carries into the playoffs.

Defensive Coordinator Bobby Babich (B)

Babich was promoted to defensive coordinator in January, but it wasn’t until late August that McDermott announced he’d hand over the play-calling duties. The head coach still plays a pivotal role in game planning, but trusting someone else to make the gameday calls was a major endorsement.

The 41-year-old longtime NFL assistant joined McDermott’s staff when the head coach was hired in 2017 and slowly climbed the ladder:

  • 2017: assistant defensive backs coach
  • 2018-21: safeties coach
  • 2022-23: linebackers coach
  • 2024: defensive coordinator

He clearly earned McDermott’s trust along the way, and he’s done nothing to lose it through his first 11 games guiding the defense.

The Bills rank 16th in yards allowed per game (329.1) and ninth in points allowed per game (19.5). Their most pressing issue is struggling to contain the run. They’re giving up 4.9 yards per rush, which ranks 29th in the league.

Those numbers are modest, but they’ve also been accumulated without perhaps the team’s most important defensive player: All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano. The sideline-to-sideline eraser has been sidelined since training camp with a bicep injury. He’s back at practice and could return in the near future.

Buffalo’s defense has also been forced to overcome unexpectedly poor play from the defensive tackle tandem of Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. They were one of the league’s best interior duos last year. So, their sudden struggles help explain the unit’s issues against the run.

All things considered, the fact the Bills still rank in the top 10 of points allowed is a testament to strong work from Babich with an assist from McDermott. And, like the offense, the defense could be in a far better position by the time the postseason rolls around.

Special Teams

Kicker Tyler Bass (B)

As expected, Bass is trying to find his way through a roller-coaster season. The 2020 sixth-round pick struggled at the end of the 2023 campaign, including a failed game-tying field goal attempt late in a playoff loss to the Chiefs, but the Bills still opted against bringing in competition.

That changed after Bass missed five kicks (three field goals and two extra points) in the team’s first six games. Buffalo added Lucas Havrisik to its practice squad, which represented the first sign the front office was seriously considering a change.

To his credit, the Bills’ incumbent kicker responded well to the challenge. He’s made 25 of his 27 kicks over the past five weeks (92.6 percent). The highlight was a game-winning 61-yard field goal against the Dolphins in Week 9.

Bass is probably off the hot seat for now, and rightfully so. Buffalo can’t afford another late-season swoon from its kicker, though.

Punter Sam Martin (C)

Martin is pretty much the encapsulation of a replacement-level punter. He doesn’t do anything extraordinary, but he also isn’t a problem the Bills have to worry about on a weekly basis.

The former Appalachian State standout ranks 18th in punting average (47.6 yards), 19th in net punting (41.9 yards), and 24th in longest punt (65 yards) this season. He’s 12th in the average return of his punts (8.1 yards).

Ultimately, if Buffalo is punting more than two or three times in a game, it’s a contest that’s likely going in the wrong direction, regardless of Martin’s performance. He’s probably safe despite the underwhelming numbers as long as he’s not making any glaring mistakes.

Main Image: Marc Lebryk – USA Today Sports

Tim Daniels

Tim Daniels

Tim Daniels is a lifelong sports fan who spent much of his youth playing soccer. He transitioned to writing in college and hasn't looked back. He spent 11 years on Bleacher Report's Breaking News Team and helped Topps launch its Ripped collecting website.

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