ORCHARD PARK, New York — The Buffalo Bills have parted ways with head coach Sean McDermott, as confirmed by two individuals familiar with the situation, who relayed the information to The Associated Press.

The announcement follows a devastating 33-30 overtime defeat to Denver, which saw the Bills exit the playoffs in the divisional round. These sources requested anonymity as the team has yet to officially release a statement regarding McDermott’s departure.

McDermott’s exit marks the end of a nine-year era in which he revitalized the Bills into consistent contenders, albeit without a Super Bowl appearance. Under his leadership, Buffalo achieved the unique milestone of winning playoff rounds in seven consecutive seasons, yet never advancing to the NFL’s biggest stage.

At 51, McDermott leaves behind a commendable record of 98-50 in the regular season and 8-8 in playoff matchups, placing him second behind the legendary Marv Levy, who amassed 112 regular-season victories and led the team to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early ’90s with Jim Kelly at the helm.

Despite quarterback Josh Allen’s record-breaking feats surpassing many of Kelly’s achievements, McDermott’s inability to secure a Super Bowl berth ultimately led to his dismissal. The team managed to reach the AFC championship game twice during their record-setting seven-year playoff streak, but fell short against Kansas City on both occasions.

Buffalo’s last three playoff losses have all been decided by three points. And three of McDermott’s playoff losses ended in overtime.

That includes a 42-36 loss to Kansas City in the 2021 divisional round that’s become dubbed “13 seconds” – the amount of time Patrick Mahomes had to complete two passes for 44 yards and set up Harrison Butker’s tying, 49-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.

Despite his playoff inconsistencies, McDermott oversaw a team that won 10 or more regular-season games over seven straight seasons, including two team record-matching 13-win seasons in 2022 and ’24.

Buffalo reached the playoffs in eight of McDermott’s nine seasons. That includes 2017, when the Bills sneaked into the postseason on the final day to end a 17-year playoff drought that at the time was the longest active streak in North America’s four major pro sports.