The Buffalo Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey the morning after an unsettling 24-22 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
The Buffalo Bills fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey after the team struggled to score points over their last six games. (Image: Getty)
The Bills slipped to 5-5. If the regular season ended today, the Bills would miss the playoffs.
I’m still confident, but it’s no secret the clock’s ticking,” said quarterback Josh Allen. “We’ve got to have some urgency now.”
The Bills wanted to shake things up because they have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL with eight more games to go. Four out of their next five opponents were playoff teams from last season.
According to a postseason projection by Upshot, the Bills have a 19% chance to make the playoffs and only a 1% chance to win the Super Bowl.
The Bills are +200 odds to make the playoffs, and -250 odds to miss the postseason according to a prop bet by DraftKings.
Bills Mafia Whacked Dorsey
Dorsey spent five seasons as the quarterbacks coach with the Carolina Panthers before he joined Sean McDermott’s staff with the Bills in 2019. In 2021, he was promoted to passing game coordinator.
The Bills have not been the same offensive juggernaut ever since former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll left Buffalo and accepted a head coaching job with the New York Giants before the start of last season.
Dorsey was the quarterbacks coach under Daboll. Bills promoted him to offensive coordinator when Daboll left.
The Bills tapped Joe Brady to take over as interim offensive coordinator. Brady was the quarterbacks coach the last two seasons under Dorsey.
Brady has some experience as an offensive coordinator. He spent two seasons as the OC of the Carolina Panthers under ex-head coach Matt Rhule in 2021-22.
Buffalo’s Scoring Woes
The Bills started this season 3-1, and averaged 38 points per game in their first three victories. The Bills are 2-4 in their last six games. They averaged 21 points per game in that time span, and failed to score more than 25 points per game since Week 4.
In 2022, the Bills were 13-3 and had the second most potent offense last season that generated 28.4 points per game. In 2023, the Bills are ranked #8 in scoring and they average 26.2 points per game.
The Bills have a banged-up defense this season with several starters out with injuries. They rely on offense to win games, but Allen and the offense has not delivered in key moments.
The Bills barely defeated the New York Giants in Week 6, who started a backup quarterback after Daniel Jones went down with neck injury. In Week 8, the Bills edged out the Tampa Bay Bucs by six points on Thursday Night Football.
The Bills also posted losses over the last month against two losing teams in which they were a betting favorite by more than a touchdown. They were an eight-point favorite against the New England Patriots in Week 7 and lost by four points. They were a 7.5-point favorite against the Broncos last night, but lost by two points.
The MNF Debacle
The Bills set an ugly tone with a fumble on the first play from scrimmage in their first possession against the Broncos on Monday Night Football. The Broncos were only able to capitalize with a field goal, but they took an early 3-0 lead.
The next three possessions by the Bills resulted in two punts and one interception. They trailed 9-0 before finally getting on the scoreboard with a touchdown and two-point conversion.
The Broncos added two field goals in their final two possessions of the first half and led 15-8 at halftime.
The Bills tied the game at 15-15 midway through the third quarter when running back Latavious Murray scored a second touchdown of the game.
Quarterback Russell Wilson connected on a touchdown pass with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The Broncos failed a two-point conversion, but led 21-15.
The Bills regained the lead with a touchdown run by Allen with 1:55 remaining. Their defense failed to shutdown the Broncos in their final possession of the game.
Broncos kicker Will Lutz missed a potential game-winning 41-yard field goal, but the Bills were flagged for “too many men on the field” penalty. The ball was moved five yards closer, and Lutz drilled a 36-yard field goal to win the game as time expired. The Broncos prevailed 24-22.
Teams continue to struggle to score in prime-time games this season. For a second week in a row, the points total under hit in all three televised night games. The total in the Broncos/Bills was 47.5 over/under in Week 10’s Monday Night Football matchup. The under prevailed once again, and prime-time unders are now 25-7 this season.
Bills Dipping on the Futures Market
The Bills host the New York Jets in Week 11 and visit the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12 prior to their bye in Week 13.
The Jets stunned the Bills with an overtime victory in Week 1 after Aaron Rodgers blew out his Achilles in the first series of the game. Meanwhile, the Eagles have the best record in the NFL at 8-1.
The Bills hit the road for three more away games after the bye including the Kansas City Chiefs (Week 14), Los Angeles Chargers (Week 16), and the Miami Dolphins (Week 18). They play two home games in December against the Dallas Cowboys (Week 15) and the New England Patriots (Week 17).
The Bills are 1-2 in the AFC East this season and play each divisional foe one more time. They beat the Dolphins, 48-20, in Week 4 but lost two close games against the Jets and Patriots.
The Dolphins (6-3) are in first place in the AFC East, and they’re the betting favorite to clinch the division at -450 odds. The Bills are +400 odds to win the AFC East. The Bills have a 9% chance to win the division, according to a projection by Upshot.
During their recent downturn, the Bills saw their Super Bowl odds tumble to +3000. They also saw their AFC Championship odds slip to +1500.
The Bills square off against the Jets in Week 11 when Gang Green heads up to Buffalo for a rematch. The Bills are a -7 favorite. Bettors turned a profit this season by fading the Bills, who have a 3-7 record against the point spread.
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