ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — After the Buffalo Bills were bounced out of the playoffs in the AFC Divisional Round for a second straight season, with their weakness exposed in a 27-10 loss to Cincinnati Bengals at home, general manager Brandon Beane said he wasn't going to 'overreact' to one loss.
"I mean we won 13 games. I think we have a good team. We didn't show it the other night the team that we are," Beane said.
"I mean nobody's run us out of the gym very often. They played a very good game and we didn't have it the other night."
The Bills will now need to make some difficult decisions in the offseason while they're up against the NFL's salary cap. Safety Jordan Poyer and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds have unsigned free agents heading into the offseason.
"The short answer is... we're going to have to get under the cap," Beane said. "Moves... could be roster cuts... and that's all the free agents that you guys are aware of not on the books... There's not going to be a Von Miller signing or somebody like that. We're going to have to work to get under the cap so that we can operate next year."
The Bills are coming off of an emotional season that ended with Damar Hamlin returning to Highmark Stadium for the first time after Buffalo's Week 17 matchup against Cincinnati was eventually canceled when a hit sent the Bills' safety into cardiac arrest on the field.
"Knowing when at certain times when to back off the football and we just need to talk about life for a minute which is hard for a coach," Beane said about Bills head coach Sean McDermott leading his players in the aftermath of the terrifying situation. He also gave a vote of confidence to McDermott's coordinators, Ken Dorsey and Leslie Frazier.
"(The loss) wasn't for a lack of effort. People think all these players did such a great job battling through (adversity)... It's not an excuse."