Bills' Josh Allen responds to Sean McDermott, Dalton Kincaid criticisms after AFC Championship loss to Chiefs

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen may officially win the Associated Press Most Valuable Player Award early next month, but that won't erase the fact that he and head coach Sean McDermott fell to 0-4 against the Kansas City Chiefs in postseason play via this past Sunday's 32-29 loss to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game. 

Allen spoke with reporters on Monday and insisted he is "extremely confident" that McDermott is the right coach to guide the Bills to the franchise's first Super Bowl championship. 

"This is gonna sound weird," Allen explained, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "I’m just so proud of coach. I don’t know why he’s not recognized more in the awards stuff. That’s the cruddy thing about it. But time in and time out, he’s got us in position. ...We’re fighting to get over that hump, and he gives his life to this. He’s so committed to doing whatever it takes."

In fairness to McDermott, his Bills teams have fallen to Chiefs sides that have featured a generational talent in quarterback Patrick Mahomes and have been led by an all-time great head coach in Andy Reid. 

Additionally, Allen may have had an opportunity to hit an open target as he faced heavy pressure from a pass rush before he launched a fourth-down throw toward tight end Dalton Kincaid with two minutes remaining in regulation of Buffalo's latest playoff heartbreak. Kincaid has received some criticism for failing to complete the catch, but Allen defended his teammate on Monday. 

"I got to be better for him," Allen said about the Kincaid play, per Alper. "...He can sit there and think about that play over and over, but I got to be better for him. That’s what it comes down to, and get him more involved. I know he’s been battling throughout the entire year, bumps and bruises and probably games that he shouldn’t have played he was in, but he’s a tough sucker, and I got nothing but love for him, how he’s approached this year. He’s going to be so much better next year."

There's no indication McDermott is going anywhere this late in the offseason hiring cycle, and he likely understands his team may once again have to battle the Chiefs in a must-win January game to advance beyond the AFC portion of next year's postseason tournament. 

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Bills tied for second among the betting favorites (with the Baltimore Ravens) at +650 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026.