Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes was asked about leaving Buffalo years ago, and the former star didn't hold back his thoughts on why.
Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes didn’t mince words when talking about his former head coach, Sean McDermott.
In a reply to a fan on social media about why he left Buffalo in 2022, Hughes pointed directly to the infamous “13 seconds” collapse against the Kansas City Chiefs as the moment his confidence in McDermott changed.
According to Hughes, that late-game sequence told him everything he needed to know about how McDermott handled situational football at the highest level.
“Once Sean screwed up the 13 seconds with his calls "prevent defense on every single play", I knew he wasn’t serious,” Hughes said.
For Bills fans, Hughes' thoughts are certain to reopen an old wound.
The 2021 AFC Divisional playoff loss has lingered over the franchise for years, often cited as the peak of Buffalo’s Super Bowl window. Hughes’ comments add a former player’s perspective to something fans have argued about in the years that followed.
Hughes, who spent nearly a decade in Buffalo and was one of the leaders of the defense, isn’t someone known for taking cheap shots. That’s part of what makes his comments notable. He wasn’t criticizing effort or preparation. He was questioning trust. Trust in a head coach to make the right calls when everything is on the line.
After taking a 36-33 lead late in the fourth quarter, Buffalo played soft coverage, allowed easy completions, and watched Kansas City move into field-goal range with alarming ease. The Bills would never see the ball on offense again as the Chiefs marched down field, again, on the first drive in overtime to win the game, 42-36.
Hughes then added that that was the game that should've seen McDermott shown the door. A feeling many fans agreed with.
"If the coach can manage to lose a football game in 13 seconds after the QB put together phenomenal play after phenomenal play. That coach should be fired," Hughes said. "Seems like someone was on borrowed time."
Since that game, McDermott had repeatedly been criticized for his lack of ability to close the big games in the playoffs. Games like that loss were the types of outcomes that defined his run as Buffalo's head coach.
Whether Hughes’ remarks are seen as overdue honesty or unnecessary hindsight likely depends on where you stand. But there’s no denying that 13 seconds remains a benchmark moment in franchise history, not just for fans, but for players who lived it.
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