The Buffalo Bills are in a tight battle with the New England Patriots to win the AFC East. Currently, the Patriots hold first place after both teams have already played in Week 11, so it will be the minor details that could decide the winner.
As a result, the Bills know they need everyone fully locked in for a division push, which is why Dion Dawkins didn’t hesitate to hold teammate Keon Coleman accountable for his mistake.
Bills’ Dion Dawkins Shows Tough Love
Coleman was a healthy scratch for Sunday’s 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The reason for Coleman’s inactive status wasn’t due to his performance on the field, but rather because he was late to a team meeting on Friday morning, per ESPN.
After the win over the Buccaneers, Dawkins gave his teammate an honest wake-up call.
“Nobody’s perfect, but in this league, we need guys to come on,” Dawkins said postgame (h/t Jonathan Acosta of WGRZ). “And Keon knows, right? Now, he’s in the hot seat, and he needs to come on and show up for us. Pats on the back are over with, and it’s time for him to grow up, and he knows it.
“And as an older player on the team, we hold everybody accountable, and we shoot straight. We don’t sugarcoat it. The words were said to him, and he took it well. We’ll see how it goes this week. But like I said at the beginning of the season, I’m in Keon’s corner, man. This league is hard. Being on time is hard. Being great is hard. Pushing for greatness is hard. We’ve got his back, but the time is now.”
Bills’ Offense Continued to Push Without Keon Coleman
The first half between the Buccaneers and the Bills was a closely contested affair. The second half told a different story, though, as the Bills outscored Tampa Bay 23-12, even without Coleman, who is currently 54th in PFSN’s Wide Receiver Impact (WRi).
While Buffalo secured a needed win over the Buccaneers without Coleman, if they want to win the division and push for a Super Bowl, the Bills will need the wideout. As a result, Bills head coach Sean McDermott believes the player will learn from his mistake.
“I try and give the guys some — a kind of a strike approach,” McDermott (h/t ESPN). “Hey, you get a chance to show your teammates that’s not really who you are. And then, when it happens again, then I step in. So, I believe he will learn from it. He takes it seriously, and he will move forward in a way of growing from this, and that’s the whole goal.”
Coleman will have to take time to reflect on his mistake before Buffalo returns to action against the Houston Texans on Thursday.