Former head coach praises Josh Allen’s ‘leadership’ after emotional press conference

The Buffalo Bills suffered an absolutely crushing defeat during the Divisional Round. Buffalo lost a nailbiter against Denver 33-30 in what should be remembered as an overtime classic. The entire team took the loss to heart, but perhaps nobody was more upset than Bills QB Josh Allen.

Former NFL head coach Steve Mariucci heaped praise on Allen, highlighting his leadership during Saturday’s postgame remarks.

“That clip showed leadership,” Mariucci said on Sunday via NFL GameDay. “What do I mean by that? He was emotional, he was distraught, he said that he let the team down. He didn’t choose to say there was some tough calls at the end of the game or they scored 33 points. Or we need to this better or I didn’t like that call. [Allen] put it all on himself and he said I let the team down. That’s what a team appreciates, not any of the other stuff.”

Allen took full responsibility for Buffalo’s loss in an emotional press conference after the game.

“I let my teammates down tonight. … It’s been a long season. Hate how it ended. This is gonna stick with me for a long time. Can’t win with 5 turnovers,” Allen said.

Mariucci knows what he’s talking about when it comes to leadership in the NFL. He was a head coach for nine seasons in the NFL. Mariucci led the 49ers from 1997-2002 before joining the Lions from 2003-05.

Mariucci had a 72-67 regular-season record as a head coach. So it means something that he is praising Allen for being vulnerable after Saturday’s big loss.

“That’s leadership,” Mariucci concluded. “That’s why this city and this team loves this kid. And yeah he had a tough game, but he admitted it. That’s going to happen to all great NFL quarterbacks at times.”

Allen was also smart to blame himself because he did not play up to his own standard against the Broncos. He went 25-of-39 for 283 passing yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Allen also added 12 carries for 66 rushing yards.

But it was turnovers that cost the Bills, including two brutal fumbles by Allen in the second half.

Allen will turn 30 years old during the offseason. He is still in the prime of his career, but it does show that he will not be around forever.

Hopefully the Bills can make some progress this spring as they prepare for another run at the Super Bowl during the 2026 season.

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