Firing OC Ken Dorsey Could Be Too Little Too Late for Bills

After a disappointing defeat on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, the Buffalo Bills made a move reeking of desperation from unreached expectations.

Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was fired Tuesday, according to multiple reports. Joe Brady has been elevated from quarterbacks coach to interim offensive coordinator.

Buffalo is an underwhelming 5-5 after a 24-22 loss against the Broncos and would miss the playoffs if the season ended today.

Brady must install his game plan quickly because the Bills' next game is on Sunday against the New York Jets. Short weeks following a Monday Night Football loss can be good for a team trying to bounce back from adversity quickly. However, with a new offensive coordinator and the season on the brink, it's fair to wonder if firing Dorsey is merely cosmetic.

The Bills are one of 11 AFC teams with at least a .500 record. They are second place in the AFC East behind the 6-3 Miami Dolphins. One issue for the Bills is that all five of their losses have been to teams in their conference, which would give those teams tiebreaker advantages over them.

Unfortunately for the Bills, the problems aren't all on offense. Broncos kicker Will Lutz missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter Monday night. The miss should've won the game for the Bills despite a performance marred with turnovers and miscues. However, the Bills had 12 men on the field, and the penalty resulted in another attempt that Lutz cashed in for the win.

"Guys are upset, they're frustrated. When you don't get the results you're looking for, you don't have the production you're looking for, they get frustrated," McDermott told reporters after the game. "I can promise it's not from a lack of effort. So we're just going to continue to reset, continue to make adjustments that we need to make. I know the result wasn't what we wanted it to be, but I do think there is some good football, at times, being played, but not good enough. So obviously, we have things to work on."

Would the Bills have fired Dorsey without the special teams' penalty costing them the game? It's hard to say. While the Bills have a top-10 offense in points per game and yards per game, they've lost four of their last six games since their Week 4 48-20 rout of the Dolphins. The Bills averaged fewer than 21 points per game in their previous six games, including Monday's loss.

Brady, who worked with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow at LSU, could find a spark in Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who was 15-for-26 with 177 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss against the Broncos. Allen's turnovers have been an issue. He is tied with a league-leading 19 touchdown passes but leads the league with 11 interceptions.

"I'm still confident, but it's no secret the clock's ticking," Allen told reporters after the game. "Gotta have some urgency now."

The schedule isn't kind to the Bills. After Sunday's home game against a Jets team that plays sound defense, the Bills play at the Philadelphia Eagles before a bye week and then a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.