NFL Analyst Names Coach and Team Under Most Pressure in 2026

The Buffalo Bills are entering a new era under head coach Joe Brady following the dismissal of now-former head coach Sean McDermott.

McDermott was fired after the Bills’ overtime loss to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round of the 2025 playoffs. Brady, who served as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator since 2023, was promoted to the head coaching position one week after McDermott’s firing.

Despite employing one of the league’s best quarterbacks, the Bills have yet to make a Super Bowl appearance with Josh Allen at the helm. The team has made two trips to the AFC Championship game since 2020, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs on both occasions.

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According to ESPN NFL analyst Booger McFarland, Brady and the Bills are under some serious pressure to succeed in the 2026 NFL season.

“I can’t even fathom how much pressure is on them. Let’s not forget, Sean McDermott was a very good head coach. This was a very good football team for a long, long time. They fired him and said, ‘That’s not good enough,'” McFarland said on Wednesday. “So the ownership is telling [Brady] right now, ‘What we did in the past is not good enough. 12-5 and not getting to the Super Bowl is not good enough.’

“I don’t know if there’s a head coach and an organization under as much pressure, for the right reasons, than Joe Brady and the Buffalo Bills,” McFarland continued. “He’s got to be great. He’s got to get this team to a Super Bowl.”

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The Bills will begin their 2026 regular-season schedule with a Week 1 matchup against the Houston Texans on Sept. 13.

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This story was originally published July 8, 2026 at 8:16 PM.