Dalton Kincaid, Josh Allen, and Sean McDermott will always remember the 2024-25 AFC Championship game against the Chiefs. The stage was set for something big to happen. The score was 32-29 in favor of the Chiefs. The two-minute warning had just kicked in, in the 4th quarter. On a 4th & 5 drive, hunted down by a blitz, Allen desperately threw a long ball, hoping to get within FG range or at least get a fresh set of downs. A diving Kincaid got his hands on the balls, but it slipped. The entirety of Buffalo was left heartbroken.

Fans started a tirade against the tight end on social media, asking him to be released. 5 days later, Bills HC Sean McDermott appeared on the January 30 episode of the WGR 550 show and talked about his player. Shutting down any trade rumors, the coach said, “Dalton was one of our hardest workers. He has put in a lot of time. So, we got to find another way perhaps, or double down on that, to help him, number 1, make it through the season, but number 2 also, improve his play strength.” The message is clear.

The tight end needs to put in a lot of work in this off-season. The only TE drafted in the 1st round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Kincaid has done well for the Bills over the last 2 years. In his rookie year, he had 73 receptions for 673 yards with 2 TDs in 16 games (11 as a starter). This year, too, he recorded 44 receptions for 448 yards with 2 TDs in 13 games (9 as a starter). But Sean McDermott missed him in 2 games from week 11 to 13 because of a knee injury. That could have been a factor as to why he pointed out the game strength. If they want to make it to the Super Bowl, the players need to be effective in converting crunch plays.

However, the Bills mafia and a majority of the NFL world blamed the referees after the game. The Bills HC had a different view though.

Sean McDermott reveals stance on game officials

While expressing his viewpoint towards the referees in the game, the HC said, “I mean, listen, we went into the game….And one of my messages to the team, and this happens from time to time is you’re going to have to, you’re not going to get calls. We’re not going to get calls. And I think just when you prepare a team, you prepare them ahead of time, mentally for this is the way it’s going down. And that’s, and you live with that. It’s, it’s, that’s not the reason why we lost.”

There was a call in the 4th quarter at the 13-minute mark. Josh Allen rushed on a 4th & 1 drive for the second consecutive series. But Nick Bolton didn’t let him gain that yard. At least the referees ruled so. That was a game-defining point. However, Sean McDermott definitely deserves respect for accepting their loss instead of pinning it on referees.

It looks more like a mental block. In their last 8 games h2h, the Bills are 4-0 in regular season games against the Chiefs. But in the playoffs, the story is totally different. They have a 0-4 record since the head coach took charge. It’s painful, but that’s how the game works. There could be only one winner and in this fixture, in the post-season, it has been the Chiefs all the way through.