Buffalo Bills coach McDermott is never one to point fingers when things don’t go well. Just like his quarterback, he’s a leader who puts it on himself to be better, recognizes his mistakes, and works to get better. The Bills defense displayed one of their worst performances of the season last week, and Coach McDermott issued an admission during an interview with Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated.

Writes Breer: “That includes what he saw during the week leading up to Sunday’s showdown in Detroit, after, McDermott says, ‘I probably didn’t have them prepared the way I needed to’ for the game against the Rams. And it really came alive, from his own standpoint, in how much he was looking forward to going back to work with the guys.”

Despite the Bills’ defense allowing 42 points and more than 500 yards of offense to the Lions, they did just enough to keep the Lions in a trailing position from the beginning. They forced the Lions to punt on their first two drives and the Bills offense stormed out to a 14-point lead, that the Lions could not recover from. The difference in the score was only six points, but the Lions were chasing the Bills from the opening kickoff.

Dec 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) is tackled by Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7) during the second quarter at Ford Field. / David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Bills defensive backfield is going through a rash of injuries with Damar Hamlin, Taylor Rapp, and Rasul Douglas all out. Buffalo also lost Matt Milano and Dorian Williams during the game. The team was able to practice just once in the week leading up to the game due to a nasty snowstorm. All things considered, Coach McDermott had these guys ready to go, and as a result, they were able to secure a huge win as they continued to pursue the Chiefs for the AFC’s top playoff spot and that coveted bye in the first round of postseason play.