Sean McDermott Showed Massive Improvement in Key Coaching Aspect in Bills Loss to Bears

Although on the surface there weren't many positive takeaways from the Buffalo Bills' preseason loss to the Chicago Bears, there were some aspects of the team's strategy that were very successful, especially in the coaching.

Throughout Sean McDermott's career, one of his biggest struggles has been with challenging calls on the field. Going into the 2024 season, McDermott had thrown his challenge flag 33 times, and was only successful 10 times. That's about a 30% success rate.

In fact, McDermott has only had one season with more than two successful challenges. However, against Chicago, McDermott had two successful challenges in just one afternoon.

Many fans may wonder why McDermott was so successful against the Bears after struggling so much in past seasons. The answer may come from one specific offseason hire.

Back in May, the Bills hired ex-NFL referee John Parry as an officiating liaison. Parry officiated for over a decade in the NFL, including two Super Bowls, and after his time there, spent time as a rules analyst for ESPN.

Now, in his new role for the Bills, it seems as though he is assisting McDermott when he gets into situations when a challenge flag could be used. With Parry's help, the Bills could see many more challenges go their way.

Related: Evaluating the Bills' 2024 Rookie Class: Promising Starts and Areas for Growth

Even though the regular-season hasn't begun yet and the sample size is very small, it's certainly something that Bills fans have to look forward to as the season continues on and the Bills get into crucial situations.