Josh Allen isn’t ducking the hard part of the story.
Seven months after the Bills’ crushing overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, the quarterback said he still thinks about the night that ended Sean McDermott’s run in Buffalo. McDermott was fired in January after nine seasons with the team, and Allen made it clear he carries some of that weight himself.
"I think about that all the time," Allen told Mike Silver of The Athletic.
"There are certain plays throughout the game and that’s going to be every game where you’re like, ‘I could have done more.’ And I always feel like I can do more."
That loss hit hard in more ways than one. Allen turned the ball over four times in the three-point defeat to Sean Payton’s Broncos in the divisional round, and it became the final game of the Allen-McDermott pairing in Buffalo. McDermott had been with the Bills since the 2017 season and was the coach who helped bring Allen in with the seventh pick of the 2018 NFL draft.
Together, they helped turn Buffalo into a team that expected to play deep into January. But after that playoff exit, the organization moved on, firing McDermott and promoting offensive coordinator Joe Brady. For Allen, that means a new voice on the sideline for the first time in his NFL career.
Now the Bills quarterback is heading into Year 9.
Allen has started every season of his career and has led Buffalo to the playoffs in eight straight years, playing in at least 16 games in each of those seasons. His 2024 campaign was the best of it yet: 3,731 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, six interceptions, 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, enough to earn him MVP honors.
He then guided the Bills to the AFC Championship Game, where they fell 32-29 to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. That result dropped Allen to 0-4 against Mahomes in the postseason.
Even with all that success, one thing has stayed out of reach. Allen never got Buffalo to the Super Bowl under McDermott. That’s the missing piece as he heads into his ninth season, now with Brady in charge and the Bills opening against the Houston Texans.
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Broncos Corner Battle Is Taking A Turn Fans Didn't Expect
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Jahdae Barron, meanwhile, is not lining up where many might have expected. Sean Payton said Barron has not been shifted to safety, but the rookie is being used in multiple spots and is working in nickel and dime packages while competing more directly with Kris Abrams-Draine for a hybrid role and the No. 4 cornerback job. For a position group that still has time to evolve, the real question now is how Denver plans to deploy Barron as the camp rotation continues to settle. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Offense Already Feels Different Under Davis Webb
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Vance Josephs side of the ball brings the contrast into focus, since the continuity on defense stands in sharp relief against an offense still learning its new rhythm. For Denver, the bigger question is how quickly Webb can get the unit comfortable with the fresh approach before camp starts narrowing the runway for experimentation. [Read more 🡒]
Chargers Rookie Is Chasing The One Thing Camp Buzz Cannot Guarantee
Training camp often hands out optimism in neat, tidy doses, but Bo Nix keeps supplying a more practical version for Denver. The Broncos quarterback said his surgically repaired right ankle will not limit his mobility or scrambling this season, and Sean Payton has already pointed to Nixs ability to avoid sacks as one of the offenses biggest assets. For a team trying to build around a quarterback who can extend plays without inviting unnecessary punishment, that kind of confidence matters just as much as arm strength or scheme fit.
Across the division, Chargers rookie receiver Brenen Thompson is chasing something camp chatter cannot guarantee, the steady trust that comes only from winning over Justin Herbert in a crowded offense. Thompson talked about the mental grind of learning the system and the adjustment that comes with operating at NFL speed, which is a reminder that the hardest part for young skill players is often not the route tree but the reliability test. For Denver, it is the same familiar AFC West backdrop: quarterbacks and skill players trying to turn summer promise into something more durable once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]