Buffalo is winging it to playoffs
Some expected team to ‘tank’ in ’17
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — It took four months and a dramatic turn of events on one of the final plays of the NFL’s regular season for coach Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills to finally — and succinctly — put to rest any suggestion the team had any intention of tanking last summer.
“I’ll let you guys handle that,” McDermott said, referring to reporters on Monday. “We’re moving on after today to the first round of the playoffs.”
And that’s all that matters to the first-year coach, who took the high road rather than an “I told you so” approach some 18 hours after the Bills clinched the AFC’s sixth and final playoff berth and ended a 17-year postseason drought — the longest in North America’s four major professional sports.
McDermott never gave in to the doubters and instead preached a simple “Trust The Process” message that resonated with his players.
Rather than packing up, as 17 of Buffalo’s preceding teams did on the day after the regular-season finale, these Bills returned home to a jubilant reception early Monday.
They were greeted at Buffalo Niagara International Airport by some 400 chanting fans , who braved 2-degree temperatures after Buffalo beat Miami 22-16 and clinched its playoff berth once Baltimore gave up a lastminute touchdown in a 31-27 loss to Cincinnati.
McDermott is even considering sending the Bengals a gift — chicken wings, perhaps — as a thank you for Andy Dalton hitting Tyler Boyd for a 49-yard touchdown pass on fourthand-12 with 44 seconds left.
CHARGERS: Coach Anthony Lynn believes his team is on to something big after a resilient season ended just short of the playoffs. He is determined to keep this group together as it attempts to build on that success in 2018.
Lynn said on Monday that he wants to return next season with the Chargers’ complete player nucleus and his coaching staff, including coordinators Gus Bradley and Ken Whisenhunt.
Bradley’s contract is up after the former Jacksonville head coach joined the Chargers on a one-year deal last winter, but Lynn is fighting to retain him amid probable interest from other teams.
“We’d like to keep this together if we can,” Lynn said Monday. The Chargers (9-7) missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but won six of their last seven games and five straight at StubHub Center.
RAVENS: Defensive coordinator Dean Pees announced his retirement at age 68 Monday following a successful NFL career that began with the New England Patriots. The 68-year-Pees told players of his decision on New Year’s Day. He is one of eight men in NFL history to serve as defensive coordinator in a Super Bowl with two different teams. Baltimore won the 2012 Super Bowl with Pees guiding the defense.
BEARS: General manager Ryan Pace received a two-year contract extension Monday, the same day he fired coach John Fox. The Bears are 14-34 since Pace took over in 2015 and hired Fox as coach.
DOLPHINS: Running back Kenyan Drake apologized and exhibited remorse Monday for throwing a helmet and being ejected after a fight in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 22-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. But Drake also seemed to say he’d do the same thing again if receiver Jarvis Landry was threatened by players from the opposing team.
“I hate that I put myself in that situation, put all of my other teammates in a wrong situation, too, to defend me, defend Jarvis,” Drake said. “That’s just the type of player I am. At the end of the day, I feel like when someone’s trying to get over on one of my teammates, I’m always going to be there, no matter what.”
Drake’s ejection happened after he threw the helmet of Bills defensive end Ryan Davis about 20 yards downfield.