Alaina GetzenbergESPN November 15, 2023, 5:45 PM ET3 minutes read
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills’ decision to move on from offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is personal for quarterback Josh Allen in more ways than one.
Dorsey has worked with Allen since 2019, initially as the team’s quarterbacks coach. In January 2022, after another playoff exit at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen successfully campaigned for Dorsey to get the job as offensive coordinator.
Coach Sean McDermott made the decision to fire Dorsey on Tuesday after the team fell to 5-5 with Monday’s loss to the Denver Broncos. That’s the team’s worst win percentage in more than two games since going 6-10 in 2018.
Buffalo is now out of the playoff picture and faces a Week 11 game against the New York Jets, who beat the Bills in Week 1.
Allen said Wednesday that if the Bills had played better, Dorsey would still be employed.
“Without a doubt, and I take that very personally,” Allen said. “It hurts a lot to see someone you care about go through a situation like this and to know that if I could have done more, if this offense could have done more, we wouldn’t have had to do something like that.”
“… It’s an unfortunate series of events that led to this, but again, as much as you can sit here and feel sorry for yourself and sulk about what’s going on, we have a game we’re preparing for It’s still four days away, so we can’t pay too much attention to it.
The Bills would have won against the Broncos on Monday night, but a penalty for having 12 men on the field negated a missed field goal as time expired and allowed Denver to try again, resulting in a 24-22 victory.
McDermott said the decision to fire Dorsey was based on the events of the season. Quarterbacks coach Joe Brady was named interim offensive coordinator in Dorsey’s place.
“Obviously not a circumstance you want to be in, especially in the middle of the season,” said Allen, who said he spoke with McDermott about why the move was made. “I love Dorsey as a person; he’s one of the good guys. He’s been in this room with me for a long time.”
“I feel like I owe a lot of my success in my career to him and he’s a big part of that, so it’s sad to see him go. The fact is that we play better as a team, we probably don’t need to make a move like that. He’s been a big part of what we’ve done here over the last few years.
The Bills’ offense has fallen short of expectations this season and has been too predictable at times, especially since Week 5. In that time, they have gone 2-4 and averaged just 20.5 points per game after losing in the first four weeks had achieved an average of 34.8. Turnovers per drive increased from 12% to 21%, with Allen leading the league with 14 turnovers.
Slow starts have also been a big problem, as the Bills have only outscored the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants in the first half since Week 5.
Allen expressed his confidence in Brady, with whom he has worked closely since the coach was hired in 2022.
“The clock is ticking on what we can do this season and the attempt to turn things around begins this Sunday,” Allen said. “It’s no secret how many wins you probably need to get into the playoffs and we don’t have much more room to maneuver. So we understand that.”