And then there were EIGHT: On Cole Bishop & Bills D delivering, Caleb/Maye, John Schneider's mastery, more
Sean McDermott's defense makes *the* play late. Can the Bills do it again in Denver?
No player on the Buffalo Bills roster was scrutinized more than Cole Bishop all summer long. No. 24 represented Code Red Concern.
Injuries, to that point, had derailed the safety’s career. Nightmares of Mahomes and Henry and Burrow and Lamar attacking Bishop in the future haunted locals more than meteorologist Patrick Hammer predicting whiteout conditions on Channel 2.
But then, a weird thing happened. The 2024 second-round pick out of Utah earned a starting spot, and played more snaps than anybody on the entire defense through a 12-5 regular season. His big plays changed games. On a defense hit hard by injuries, Bishop now represents a steady presence.
He’s quiet. Bishop does not say much beyond the status quo. But when we caught up in his corner of the locker room recently for our piece on Jordan Poyer, I asked about last summer and he admitted he heard that noise. How could he not?
“To be frank,” Bishop said, “I think a lot of those people don’t know what’s going on. I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing. Sticking to my process. Staying focused. Working. Preparing.
“I wouldn’t say it is fuel necessarily. But I mean, it’s definitely not the best thing.”
All of those AFC headliners missed the playoffs, of course. Fast forward to the AFC wild card round and the Jacksonville Jaguars had ample time to drive the field and force overtime. Their 22-year-old kicker, Cam Little, has the two longest kicks in NFL history. Three first downs in 59 seconds is easy work in today’s NFL. Instead? Trevor Lawrence tried jamming a ball to wideout Jakobi Meyers in tight coverage, Tre’Davious White got a paw on it and Bishop was Johnny-on-the-Spot for an interception. Game over.
We spent many words analyzing this team at this time into the postseason. This roster obviously lacks top-end talent at wide receiver. But Buffalo’s 27-24 win over a damn-good Jags team was a win for both GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. A slew of Beane’s picks and signings made plays at critical moments. Where would this defense be without welcoming back Poyer and White? And let’s give the head coach a hand. After deciding not to take a knee before scoring a touchdown, McDermott put the onus on himself. He knew his defense needed to step up, and they did. They slammed the door shut with everything on the line.
Replacing the best safety tandem in team history (Poyer and Micah Hyde) hasn’t been easy. This is a very difficult scheme to learn.
Bishop’s been at Poyer’s side day-in, day-out and now? Bishop objectively looks like a keeper long term.
He never flinched when much of the fan base was declaring him a bust.
“You try to ignore it, but you see it,” Bishop said. “Obviously there’s doubts. Within the team, I was still trying to earn that certain spot. So being able to just keep your head down to work was something I focused on. My work ethic, my process. I prepare intensely. In the offseason, I worked really hard and just more games under my belt. With more games, you feel more comfortable out there.”
Up next, the Denver Broncos. Sean Payton with two weeks to prepare is a tall task. The Bills are physically beat up, playing on a short week, heading to high altitudes in Colorado. Odds are, they’ll need another turnover or two from this reconfigured defense. It’s been a funky season for Bo Nix, but he’ll use his legs and try to get Buffalo’s safeties in compromising positions.
The spotlight will be squarely on Bishop again.
Only this time, a trip to the AFC Championship Game is on the line instead of a starting spot in training camp.
Here are a few more thoughts on the seven teams remaining in the tournament.
I’ll be posting a two-hour podcast with Bob McGinn tonight, too. It’ll be exclusive to our paid subscribers. Whew, you will not want to miss Bob’s autopsy.
Chicago. Twenty-five fourth quarter points. Rewatching this wild-card game for the ages, that’s the number worth repeating. And it’s a point we should’ve brought up more in our LaFleur column. DC Jeff Hafley once again failed to get Caleb Williams and the Bears off the field. This Bears roster has all sorts of warts on defense. Even if temps are in the single digits, Matthew Stafford will get his. But every time this Bears team is on the edge of a cliff — like that fourth and 8, down 27-16 — Williams finds a way to create magic. It’ll be fascinating to watch this QB’s career alongside those of Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. Our series on the Bears was always more about the GM than the quarterback. Part II is unlocked for those who’d like to read in full. Poles had his eyes dead-set on Williams because he saw Patrick Mahomes 2.0. “If there was dissension?” one personnel man said. “There wasn’t a door opened for dissension.” When he absolutely needed to be Mahomes against the Packers? Williams put the cape on.