For all the glory Sean McDermott has brought to the Bills Mafia—five straight AFC East crowns in the 2020s—the chatter around Orchard Park suggests that might not be enough anymore. The Super Bowl window feels wide open, yet the Buffalo buzz now comes with a heavy “but.” That tone hit a new gear last month when WalterFootball dropped a video ranking all returning NFL head coaches, and Sean McDermott landed at a humbling 12th spot out of 25. The man tasked with leading the City of Light to a long-awaited title is now the subject of finger-pointing.

However, draft insider Charlie Campbell wasn’t shy about explaining the ranking. He believes Buffalo’s dominance in the division comes with an asterisk, calling the AFC East “generally weak.” And the stats back him up—since 2020, the division title race only went down to the wire in 2021 and 2023. “They get to the playoffs and they lose, they don’t get to the Super Bowl,” said Campbell. “They have an MVP quarterback. I think defensively, they’re a very conservative team and I think that McDermott has done a good job, but not a great job.”

And the same doubt echoed when Locked On Bills‘ Joe Marino broke down where Buffalo stacks up league-wide on July 13. Explaning how “from a coaching perspective, the way that we do the coaching is you get the most points for your head coach, and then you get half of the points that you get for your head coach for an O.C. and your D.C,” the Bills’ coaching staff ranks seventh overall—a strong mark, but not elite. “The Bills ranked number seven when it comes to coaching across the league…that’s exactly where I personally ranked Sean McDermott. You kind of work it all together—every team’s play caller on both sides, plus their head coach—the Bills come in at number seven,” the analyst mentioned. Even more telling, though, is how the roster and coaching combine to shape expectations.

Marino, along with co-analyst Kyle Krabs, built a consensus ranking where Buffalo landed at number four. They assessed every tier of the roster and coaching unit to balance out biases. Marino explained that, “over 90% of it reflects exactly how I see it… maybe the other 10% is me coming to consensus with Kyle based on the way that he sees it.” Still, that “four” hides the fact that others leapfrogged them.

“We do have the Ravens at number one, and then the Chiefs do jump the Bills here. They go to number three. So that’s the value of their coaching… Philly’s number two. So, Ravens one, Chiefs three, Bills four. The Chiefs are number five in roster, but when you factor in coaching, the Bills go to number four and the Chiefs go to number three,” Marino pointed out.

All things considered, it’s hard to ignore how much is riding on McDermott’s next move. With Josh Allen—who’s led the team to a 61-22 record since 2020—still playing like a franchise cornerstone, Buffalo should be doing more. Yet they’re just 7-5 in the playoffs during that time and haven’t cracked the Super Bowl door open. Despite everything, many still believe the Bills should be Super Bowl-bound in 2025.

Sean McDermott’s Bills named among Super Bowl challengers

Everything about this Buffalo roster screams ready. The City of Light has been waiting patiently, but time’s ticking louder than ever. Josh Allen’s playing like an MVP, the coaching staff is settled, and the AFC East? Many in the Bills Mafia expect them to coast through it. But none of it matters unless they get it done in January. And that’s the reality—Buffalo has to break through in the postseason.

Last season’s near-miss in the AFC Championship only turned the pressure dial up. The Bills pushed Kansas City to the edge, but just couldn’t close. That loss, however, didn’t change how experts see them. On The Herd, FS1’s Jason McIntyre named just six legit Super Bowl contenders—and only two came from the AFC: the Bills and the Ravens.

“They’ve been knocking on the door for a few years,” McIntyre said. “Josh Allen, obviously tremendous. They came up a little short in the playoff game in Kansas City. Buffalo had some self-inflicted wounds trying to pull off the tush push repeatedly, and it failed. The Bills did add Joey Bosa, not a bad pickup. Josh Palmer from the Chargers, but they also have a very favorable schedule, and they’ve won the last five AFC East titles.”

So yes, this season feels different. It’s not just about making a run—Buffalo is expected to go all the way and win it. Because honestly, with Allen playing lights out, the offense back in sync, and the defense finally reloaded, the question is simple—if not now for Buffalo, then when?