On Sunday at Miami, Bills coach Sean McDermott will attempt to win his 100th career game, including playoffs. It’s only his ninth season as a head coach.
Via NBC Sports research, McDermott can become only the sixth NFL head coach with 100 or more wins in his first nine seasons, including playoffs.
The others are George Seifert (116), Paul Brown (104), John Madden (103), Joe Gibbs (102), and Mike McCarthy (101).
Yes, McDermott has benefited from the playing of a 17th regular season game, which started in 2021. Regardless, he has 99 wins in nine seasons.
Overall, McDermott has a record of 92-47 in the regular season, and 7-7 in the playoffs.
And the playoffs are ultimately what matters for McDermott. The Bills likely will get there again in 2025. The challenge is to get past the Chiefs, and ultimately to get to the Super Bowl.
In a wide-open conference, Buffalo currently has as good of a chance as anyone.
Last Thursday night, Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman took issue with the failure of an official to throw a penalty after a pass play during which Bateman believed he was held by a Dolphins defender.
It ended up being an expensive complaint from Bateman.
He was flagged during the game. On Saturday, Bateman was fined $25,154 for verbal abuse of an official.
While it’s a proper outcome, it’s inconsistent. In Week 4, Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said to referee Alex Kemp, “That’s some bullshit” after a holding call against Smith-Njigba wiped out a Seattle touchdown. Smith-Njigba directed the comment to Kemp, and his microphone relayed it to anyone watching the game.
Smith-Njigba wasn’t flagged or fined.
And that’s not to say he should have been. The point is that there should be consistency in these matters.
The Bills won’t have a pair of defensive players when they take on the Dolphins this weekend.
Head coach Sean McDermott announced in his weekly appearance on WGR550 that defensive end A.J. Epenesa and linebacker Shaq Thompson will not play on Sunday.
Epenesa is dealing with a concussion while Thompson has a hamstring injury. Neither player has practiced this week.
Additionally, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (calf), receiver Joshua Palmer (knee/ankle), cornerback Taron Johnson (groin), and cornerback Christian Benford (groin) are all set to be questionable for the divisional matchup.
While running back James Cook did not practice on Wednesday with an ankle issue, he was limited in practice on Thursday and appears set to play in Sunday’s contest.
Buffalo will officially release its last injury report of the week later on Friday.
The Ravens aren’t the only struggling team that removed games from the locker room.
Via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post, games are gone from the Dolphins’ locker room, too.
A Pop-A-Shot game, another basketball hoop, and a card table are MIA in Miami.
“Honestly, I got beat and I got mad and I just broke the whole thing,” left tackle Patrick Paul said, via Habib. “No, I’m kidding. But yeah, I don’t know. Wanted to redecorate, I guess.”
Receiver Jaylen Waddle said the move is “not necessarily” tied to the team’s struggles. “I think there’s a lot of furniture being moved around here,” Waddle said, via Habib.
Defensive tackle Benito Jones ultimately spilled the tea, comparing the move to the one that happened in Baltimore.
“We just want to focus on the little things,” Jones said, adding that it was a decision by the players, not the coaches.
The question is whether it will make a difference. There’s an argument to be made that, at this point, it won’t matter.
But even if the playoffs are a pipe dream for the Dolphins, they can do enough (in theory) to earn a fifth season for head coach Mike McDaniel.
The Dolphins have moved on from one of their tight ends.
Miami announced on Thursday that the club has waived Tanner Conner.
Conner, 27, had joined the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent out of Idaho State in 2022.
He had appeared in 33 career games with one start, catching 12 passes for 107 yards. In 2025, he recorded nine receptions for 91 yards in nine games. He was on the field for 181 offensive snaps and 116 special teams snaps this year.
