Bills’ Sean McDermott avoids making airplane analogy for team after 9/11 reference controversy

The Buffalo Bills had a less-than-convincing win in the cold against the New England Patriots on Sunday – a week after a dominant display over the Detroit Lions.

The Bills were expected to blow the lowly Patriots out of the water. But New England held its own for at least three quarters of the game. One costly mistake from rookie quarterback Drake Maye in the fourth quarter let the Bills take advantage to pick up the 24-21 win.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott speaks at a news conference after the Lions game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Rey Del Rio)

Bills head coach Sean McDermott was asked about the team’s first-half performance on Monday. He said he was going to make a plane comparison but didn’t want to step in it.

“Um, let’s see, I was about to use an airplane flying analogy but I’ll stay away from that,” he said.

McDermott seemingly referenced a head-scratching story from last December when it was revealed he tried to illustrate how the team could come together following a season in which they had lost in the AFC Championship.

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen passes against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Orchard Park, New York. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)

The moment was chronicled in Ty Dunne’s Go Long TD Substack.

“He told the entire team they needed to come together,” Dunne wrote of McDermott. “But then, sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on September 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection.

“One by one, McDermott started asking specific players in the room questions. ‘What tactics do you think they used to come together?’ A young player tried to methodically answer. ‘What do you think their biggest obstacle was?’ A veteran answered, ‘TSA,’ which mercifully lightened the mood.”

McDermott said last year he regretted the analogy.

Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson, left, celebrates with cornerback Christian Benford after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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This year, Buffalo is again among the top teams in the AFC and the reason for the Kansas City Chiefs’ lone loss on the season.

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