McD 100 Games Sunday, His Best Games

[strive_for_five_guy]

Top three most exciting moments here were Cincy beating Baltimore, Taron Johnson Pick 6 versus Baltimore, and then the entire perfect playoff game against the Pats.  Thank you McD.

[jletha]

1 hour ago, FireChans said:

I would switch out Denver 2020 to 49ers 2020.  That was the "Josh Allen and the Bills offense has arrived and are legit" game, IMO. We had put up points on some weaker defenses, but we dominated those boys all game.

That run of games: SF, Denver, NE, Mia (I know the Pitt game was in there too) was the most impressive display of quarterbacking Ive ever seen and probably will ever see. Allen was completely unstoppable for those games.

[dpberr]

[Chas56]

Most of you guys seem to have forgotten the past twenty years of futility. We haven't won a Super Bowl yet. Boohoo. We didn't make the playoffs!!!!!

[sunshynman]

1 minute ago, dpberr said:

Man, Ralph did Wade Phillips Nasty!

[dpberr]

4 minutes ago, sunshynman said:

Man, Ralph did Wade Phillips Nasty!

 

Legitimately tore the time/space continuum in Buffalo, one of the most consequential decisions he ever made as owner. 

[Einstein]

November 2020 - Bills beat Patriots 24-21. 

 

That game felt much more freeing to me than the wildcard beat down.

 

By the time of the wild card game in January of 2022, I already knew the Patriots were toast - a shell of their former self. I expected to win.

But at the start of the November 2020 game, the Patriots were still feared. They had beaten us 7 games in a row. I was worried they would expose us.

 

Instead, we beat them. And have beaten them 5 of the 6 matches since.

[Franco_92]

BUF @ NE 12/26/21 was a good one. New England was once again media darlings, and had inexplicably held the 1 seed through a decent stretch of the middle/end of the season. They had beaten us in the wind game a few weeks prior (not many, 3 or 4). The Bills were 8-6, Pats were 9-5. If the Bills won, they could win out and clinch the AFC East. If they lost, they were going to hand the crown back after one brief season. They went into Foxborough and played nearly a perfect game on offense, setting the stage for the wildcard beatdown 3 weeks later. Allen was masterful, and made  obscene 3rd and long conversions all game long. McKenzie torched Bryant on crosser after crosser. That was a lot of fun - "Not so fast, patsies!"

[Yobogoya!]

3 hours ago, corta765 said:

1. 2019 Thanksgiving Bills at Dallas win 26-15: This may be the moment after all the years of the drought that stamped Buffalo is back. 17' was fun and nice to end the playoff drought. Irrelevancy though ended on this day and it felt like kicking a door in saying "hi yea were back". Every element of the team did its part and it was as complete a win as any. 

 

That game was amazing. When Josh ripped the ball out of a scrum after a botched snap and leapt over two teams to pick up the first down, THAT was the literal kicking in of the door -- and it was televised on Thanksgiving for the whole world to see.

 

Bills fans had known Josh was a gamer before then, but to the average viewer he was still the inaccurate project kid. Truly a top moment of all time for this fandom. 

[Joe Ferguson]

I'm not sold on McD on the way he coaches in the post seasons. He failed against the Bengals and Chiefs twice. Playing scared and coaching not to lose is not the way to win championships.

[hondo in seattle]

4 hours ago, corta765 said:

So apparently it will be 100 games for McD on Sunday which is pretty cool and also wild its been that long. Jay Skurski had a nice piece on the 100 game mark and his top 5 games for McD which prompted me to create this with my best games by him and what yours might be.

 

Honorable Mentions-

2017: Week 4 at Atlanta // Bills win 23-17. Buffalo during the drought had pulled a few impressive wins at home, but on the road was nope. With a trash bag roster McD and crew got to 3-1 and upset the NFC Champs. It felt different once that happened.

2017: Week 12 at KC // Bills win 16-10: Three straight losses including the failed Peterman "Experiment in LA" had the Bills backs against their wall. For many we had seen this before new coach who starts hot and it flames out. Instead in a not necessarily exciting game the Bills just did their job.

2020: Divisional Round Ravens at Bills // Bills win 17-3: The Bills held the prior years MVP in check throughout and then knocked him out. 

2022: Week 6 at KC // Bills win 24-20: I will just say I wish I could've seen this team healthy in the playoffs because I think a healthy Bills team with Von and a functioning secondary would've made a true run. Anyway this was a prize fighter type game and the team played up to it especially after 13 seconds.

2022: Week 16 at Chicago // Bills win 35-13: The season at this point really had felt exhausting and long between injuries and uncontrollable off the field things. The Bills clinched their third straight division with far less excitement then prior years, but in a sense more appreciative given the hurdles thrown at them.

 

5. 2021 Wildcard Weekend // Bills smoke Patriots 47-17: Even though the Bills won in NE to take the division at seasons end the talking heads still were giving NE a lot of props that they might take the Bills out again. Buffalo put down for good any upstart ideas and that the division for the future went through Buffalo. Master class across the lineup of destroying your opponent.

4. 2019 Week 15 Bills at Steelers win 17:10: The Bills clinched their 2nd appearance without luck just earning it the old fashion way. His D made work of Duck Hodges and Allen and crew did enough on offense on SNF to get the post season punched.

3. 2020 Week 15 Bills at Denver win 48-19: The Bills clinched their first division title in over two decades blowing the doors off the wall and having a fun time doing it. Buffalo was the division favorite entering the season, but you got to prove and earn it for things to truly change and they did that day.

2. 2017 Week 17 Bills at Phins win 22-17: The drought died and he did a superb job guiding that team capped off with the Kyle Williams TD.

1. 2019 Thanksgiving Bills at Dallas win 26-15: This may be the moment after all the years of the drought that stamped Buffalo is back. 17' was fun and nice to end the playoff drought. Irrelevancy though ended on this day and it felt like kicking a door in saying "hi yea were back". Every element of the team did its part and it was as complete a win as any. 

 

I watched every one of these games.  But I wouldn't have been able to recall, summarize, and rate them like you did.  Nicely done!

 

And, despite whatever flaws he might possess, I'm glad we have McD instead some of the other folks we've had filling the HC position.  

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

This post prompted me to watch some highlights from McD's first season in 2017.  It was cool seeing how the core of our secondary (Hyde, Poyer, White) is largely the same group.  Not often that you see that in the NFL for 7 whole seasons.

 

Also funny to see some Bills I'd forgotten had a stint here...Jordan Matthews, Leonard Johnson, Mike Tolbert, Logan Thomas, Andre Holmes.

 

The biggest point, though is, that was a BAD roster.  That was a roster that was built for 3-13 and it's the one that broke the streak.  McD has had bad moments but that season is enough evidence that he has coaching prowess that extends beyond just picking up Josh Allen.

Edited September 22, 2023 by SageAgainstTheMachine

[HOUSE]

Does the 100 games include the Cincinnati game that was never finished?

If so, I am throwing the little red flag

[JohnnyBuffalo]

How many 100 game coaches have there been across the NFL…I can look it up it’s a rhetorical question.

 

It didn’t exactly surprise me that the Bills only had 2 other coaches hit the 100 game mark since I have been a fan from the Levy years BUT it did make me think WOW does that show how bad it was and for how long…..and HOW GOOD we have it now.   Just get over that final hump baby!!

 

Go Bills!!!!

[billsbackto81]

McD.  .636% win rate

Levy.  .615% win rate

[Reks Ryan]

OP  - I loved watching the 2 games you have at #1 & 2. Celebrating the end of the playoff drought in the Dolphins stadium once the Ravens lost,was an all time great memory.   Although, I would put the domination of NE at home in the playoffs as #1 in the McDermott era. 

 

Even though it clinched the division, not sure about 2020 Denver game as a top game.  It would of been shocking if they lost that game.  You could put the 2020 SF game up there instead.   For me one of the most fun and entertaining games was the snowball game last year agains the fish.   And it was well mangaged by McD & co  to run down the clock and kick the game winning FG.

[Alphadawg7]

6 hours ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Great post man. Sean gets alot of ***** but he's easily the best coach we've had since Levy. 

 

 

I agree, he definitely is.  I also think when his tenure is done here, McD will have over taken Levy in the best Bills coach conversations.  Doesn't mean he is perfect, but neither was Levy who as far as I am concerned coached his way out of a Super Bowl victory against the Giants.