The Buffalo Bills have Super Bowl expectations every year. That’s the reality when led by a former MVP quarterback in his prime, like Josh Allen is. Yet, those sky-high expectations can also lead to increased pressure. Sometimes it ends up being too much.
Just ask former Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was ousted after the end of last season despite leading Buffalo to playoff appearances in each of the past seven seasons. Now, first-year head coach Joe Brady takes over after operating as offensive coordinator. But rather than taking a step forward, what if the Bills go backward in 2026? It could spell trouble.
Bills Playing on Eggshells in 2026?
Even though they’ll be playing under a first-year head coach, the Bills still have a four-time Pro Bowl QB. Plus, despite McDermott’s firing, that’s still a roster that won 12 games last season; in other words, they may not be far off from accomplishing their goals.
Yet, ESPN’s NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck suggested on Friday morning’s edition of “Get Up” that the Bills’ high expectations place them in a dangerous spot. If what they accomplished under McDermott wasn’t good enough, then the pressure is even higher for coach Brady and Co.
“The dangerous spot I see Buffalo in is that because you have Josh Allen, because he is so good, because you’ve fired Sean McDermott, you have a team that has Super Bowl expectations with a first-year head coach, and there’s almost this feeling of, the regular season is a formality,” Hasselbeck said.
While the Bills haven’t had much trouble reaching the playoffs with Allen quarterbacking the team, the real challenge for Buffalo’s coaching staff will be continually finding ways to challenge the roster and keep them engaged as the postseason begins. If not, things could go drastically wrong.
BUILD YOUR OWN TOP 100: PFN’s FREE NFL Top 100 Builder
“If the Bills win 14 games, there aren’t going to be any parades in Buffalo,” Hasselbeck argues. “It’s gonna be about what happens in the postseason. Do they go to the Super Bowl? Do they win the Super Bowl? I think it’s just a dangerous place to be… The magnitude of pressure, on a team in the postseason, when you’re living in that environment, I think sometimes can absolutely cripple teams in the postseason.”
It’s true. At this point, Bills fans don’t care about anything but Super Bowl victories. Longtime diehards had to sit through four appearances, but four Super Bowl losses from 1990 to 1993.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM: PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
While even a Super Bowl appearance would feel like an accomplishment at this stage. Next time the Bills have a chance at grasping a Lombardi Trophy, they intend to take it home.
Maybe coach Brady, whose offense ranked third in the league last season, according to PFN’s Offense Impact Metric, can be the one who finally executes that goal in Buffalo, after over 60 years of waiting since the franchise’s inception in 1960.
