Joe Brady, the Bills’ first-year lead man, just confessed to a crucial clock-management mistake in their wild 37-34 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Rams, even though they won the game. In a week packed with coaching gaffes, this one flew under the radar because Buffalo still clinched the W, but Brady himself is calling it out, and that’s a big deal.
The Overtime Thriller and What Went Down
The game was an absolute nail-biter. After the Bills tipped Harrison Mevis’ 48-yard field goal attempt in overtime, they got the ball back and marched 35 yards down the field in just five plays. That set up Tyler Bass for what would become the game-winning 45-yard field goal. It happened on second-and-10, with 1:55 left on the clock.
You’d think, “Hey, they won, all good right?” But Brady, looking back, knows they could’ve done things better. He’s saying he wishes he had called a couple of kneel-downs to chew up some more clock. His reason? If Bass had missed that kick, just like Mevis did earlier, the Rams would’ve had less time to answer back. Talk about playing chess, not checkers, even when you’re celebrating.
Brady’s Internal Conflict and The Crucial Lesson
Brady opened up about his thinking in that moment. He said he didn’t want to run two QB sneaks because he didn’t want to “put the ball in harm’s way, taking some shots on Josh.” He figured they were already in line for the kick. His big question then was, “Do I just, hey, center the ball and just take two knees?” He knew it would mean going back two yards, making Bass’s kick a 47-yarder instead of 45. But the difference in percentages for a 45-yarder versus a 47-yarder? Brady believes it’s not that big. The real kicker, though, is if Bass had missed, the Rams would’ve had just 45 seconds to go 20 yards for their own field goal, instead of the nearly two full minutes they would have had with the time left.
He admitted he was conflicted. “T-Bass was good to go,” Brady said, and the huddle’s vibe was, “Let’s just go win the game right now.” But looking back, he’s firm: the best move would’ve been to take those two knees. It would’ve drastically limited the Rams’ chance to respond if the kick went sideways. It’s a completely different story if the ball was a little further back, where he’d have no indecision, but from that distance, that extra time becomes critical. This is a first-year lead man already learning crucial lessons about managing the game clock, even when his team pulls out the W. That kind of self-awareness is huge, and it’s something every coach should be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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