Every season there are phrases and words that teams attach themselves to. It becomes a part of who they are, the fabric that makes up the team.
It doesn't form overnight. This identity is battle-tested. One that has some wear and tear to it, you have to try it on for size first.
A word Bills coaches and players gravitated toward throughout the season is "grit." It's been used to describe who they are and how they win. It appeared in conversations, press conferences and postgame speeches.
"We've got a lot of grit, a lot of heart, a lot of love for one another in this room," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said in the locker room after beating the Chiefs 28-21 in Week 9. "You got to stay together. I am so damn proud of you guys."
Quarterback Josh Allen believes it's about putting it all on the line for your team.
"It's just doing whatever it takes to get the job done," Allen said of a winning mindset. "And sometimes you got to put your body on the line … just having that can't be denied mindset."
What is grit to the Buffalo Bills?
Grit is a word the Bills wear with pride. It's become their armor that represents the story of how they made it to the Divisional Round in the playoffs. Grit showed itself in Week 1 when the Bills took on a very talented Baltimore Ravens team.
Buffalo was down by 15 points with just four minutes to play. The odds didn't stop them. Instead, it served as motivation. The Bills scored 16 unanswered points and forced one takeaway in the final few minutes, ultimately defeating the Ravens with a walk-off, 32-yard field goal as time expired.
"It has been everything to this team, starting with the first game and being down," special teams ace and defensive back Sam Franklin Jr. said of why grit represents who they are. "Nobody panicked, nobody wavered, and nobody quit. We feel like no matter where we're in the game, we always have a chance."
It was a performance that caught the attention of NFL fans world-wide. It was one of passion, perseverance, determination and mental toughness.
"That's a hell of a win," McDermott told his team in the postgame speech. "As a coach you always look for a win like this early in the year when you're trying to bring the team together. You just showed me what's in here."
That game helped build Buffalo's identity, and its coach learned there's a ton of resilience on the roster. For McDermott, grit is about making it through the obstacles of life.
"It's how you find a way," McDermott said. "How you find your way through life … And the football season, the journey of it is, there's some highs, there's some lows. So, you stay together, and you keep taking one step, putting one foot in front of the other. If you do that, the light at the end of the tunnel grows a little bit brighter each day."
Like McDermott, his players believe grit is about surviving the dog days of an NFL season and fighting for the ultimate goal.
"When I hear the word grit, it kind of flows with grind," left tackle Dion Dawkins said. "It's a grinder season. Put it in and whatever you get is what you get, but it's still edible … This season, it's just been a tough group man, a tough group of guys that just keep fighting."
Grit in the face of adversity | When the going gets tough, the Bills push through
One of the first obstacles Buffalo had to overcome and one that kept coming back throughout the season was injuries. Not a small injury here and another there, long-term injuries to multiple starters and important role players.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver started the season strong with three sacks in three games. An ankle injury kept him sidelined for five weeks and then in Week 8, Oliver tore his biceps. A key part of Buffalo's defensive line was gone. After missing 11 weeks, Oliver thankfully returned to practice ahead of the Divisional Round.
"The adversity that we faced early on with just losing Ed Oliver," cornerback Tre'Davious White said. "That was huge. Just the injuries we had overall, the shuffling of players on defense and offense that happened because of that."
Buffalo didn't let that get in the way of their bigger goals. It was a next man up mentality. Veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones and rookie defensive tackle Deone Walker stepped up in his absence. In doing so, Walker grew a lot in his knowledge of the game and the defense in just one year.
It wasn't just Oliver who suffered a long-term injury. Starting safety Taylor Rapp was placed on IR in the middle of the season due to a knee injury and starting mike linebacker Terrel Bernard also missed several games due to injury.
One of their biggest challenges was when the Bills were without both tackles, Dawkins (concussion) and Spencer Brown (shoulder) for their Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. Pittsburgh had one of the best defensive lines in the league, led by defensive end T.J. Watt. Backup offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Ryan Van Demark didn't flinch and did a fantastic job keeping the pocket clean and opening rushing lanes. Buffalo rushed for 249 yards, a record at Acrisure Stadium. Allen wasn't sacked once and they beat Pittsburgh 26-7.
"They knew the challenge that was in front of them," McDermott said of Anderson and Van Demark. "Their teammates supported them. They didn't blink. They really didn't … Guys go down, guys step in, do a phenomenal job. Again, the toughness of our football team on display."
In the last week, Buffalo lost two wide receivers for the rest of the season. Both wide receivers Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers tore their ACL in the Wild Card game against the Jaguars. Shavers defied the odds and played through the injury during the second half of the game.
"For him to then come back into the game and then for it to turn out to be what it was is remarkable," McDermott said of the wide receiver. "Remarkable toughness, remarkable commitment to the team."
As of late, Allen's shown he's the toughest athlete in the world. Playing through a foot injury that's nagged him for weeks while also dealing with a knee and finger injury that caused him to go to the medical tent twice against the Jaguars.
Allen is a part of a bigger group who's toughed it out and played through multiple injuries.
"In my room with the tight ends, a lot of guys are banged up," rookie tight end Jackson Hawes said. "We have a pretty physical role. And just seeing them still put the helmet on, go out to practice and fight through a lot of stuff, Dalton (Kincaid), Reggie (Gilliam), Dawson (Knox) … It's contagious seeing that and helps you want to push through stuff."
Another element that's been contagious for the team's belief in each other is the comeback victories. The Bills have five come-from-behind victories when trailing at halftime or later.
"Being able to go through those moments early in the season, being in games down by 20 and coming back," White said of how their identity built over time. "Every game that we've been in this season I just feel like was a learning moment for us, a callous moment for us to get better as a team … I just think we're ready for whatever moment that comes. Our confidence never wavered because of that. That's why I love this group."
In Week 14, the Bills were down 10 points with less than eight to play against the Bengals. Buffalo's defense shut it down with back-to-back interceptions, one went for a touchdown. The offense got hot with two straight touchdowns, led by a massive Allen 40-yard rushing touchdown. The Bills won 39-34.
"I would say the grit part of all of this is nobody's blinking, nobody is questioning themselves," Dawkins said of being battle tested. "Nobody is scared; nobody is doubting. We could be down 20-0. We're going to come out when that clock starts going, and we're going to fight you until the end. And hopefully we win, but if we lose, we're going to go down punching on you.
"You're going to leave here with some black eyes, and you're going talk about it like, 'Yo, those boys played us tough.'"
Against the Patriots in Week 15, adversity struck again but Buffalo dug deep and gutted out a gritty win. Down by 17 in the third quarter, the Bills scored on four straight drives to give them the advantage. The defense held their own forcing an interception, two punts and a turnover on downs in the final two quarters. Once again, Buffalo came out victorious, 35-31.
"We're just a team that we're going to fight every play," defensive leader and linebacker Shaq Thompson said. "We're going to take it one play at a time until that clock hits zero … We might not play good in the first half, but we know in that second half, it's time to turn things up, and it's time to show up."
Led by players like Thompson and White, Buffalo's defense certainly turned it up a notch in the second half of games. In the third and fourth quarter, the Bills allow an average of just 8.5 points – the third lowest in the league. They also allow an average of just 70 passing yards in the second half, the lowest in the NFL. Their nine interceptions and 13 takeaways in the second half are also top 10.
When the defense's backs are against the wall, they strap in and do their best work.
"I would say just the resiliency," defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. "I think it's been brought up a lot with the way we play in the second half. I think that just kind of defines how our guys perform with their backs against the wall."
Fueled by your why | How grit defines the fabric of Bills players
While the team exemplified grit in how they fought through injuries, stepped up in each other's absences and showed resiliency in games, each player also walked through obstacles this season and in life that embodies who they are.
"I think everybody has a story of trials and tribulations," safety Jordan Poyer said. "And this team, you can look at the people that didn't draft you, the people that drafted you late. You can look at so many different things, and at the end of the day it really doesn't matter. There's lot of really good football players in here."
One player who spear-headed this lionhearted mindset and has a story to back it up is Thompson. The 11-year veteran came to Buffalo on a one-year deal, providing depth and reuniting with McDermott who was his defensive coordinator in Carolina from 2015-16.
Thompson proved to be more than depth as he filled in at middle linebacker and made seven starts (including postseason) when Bernard was injured. He also quickly became an important voice in Buffalo's locker room and was chosen by McDermott to talk to the team about having a go-getter's mentality.
"I was just telling them just about the mindset that we must have from here on out," Thompson said of his speech. "It's been my mindset, but I want to give it to other people … This team latched on to it, and it's just a part of us now. It's in our DNA. It's in our blood."
That DNA is giving all they've got until the clock strikes zero. It doesn't have to always be pretty, sometimes it's gritty. It's a dog's mentality.
Thompson spoke about the Dogo Argentino, a dog breed that's violent, powerful and when it's time to go to work, does it without question. Pictures of the dog showing its teeth are littered throughout the locker room, hanging up on defensive linemen's lockers.
Defensive end A.J. Epenesa said the speech stuck with him, so he printed pictures out and taped them on his teammates lockers to serve as a reminder of who they are.
"If you look at it, it's an intimidating dog," Epenesa said pointing to his locker. "It's just a mindset of we're not barking or loud, we're here to take care of business and do our job."
Growing this specific mindset and feeling confident enough to spread it to his teammates is something that happened over time for Thompson.
"Just dealing with everything I dealt with in my life, losing my mom in 2019, going through big injuries in back-to-back years, remaining the same," Thompson said of what has shaped him. "Having those doubts in my head about retiring. Am I still good enough? Just playing those over and over in my head and just hunkering down and saying, f* that.
"I know who I am. And I always know, regardless of life, there's light at the end of the tunnel. I just got to make sure I see it, regardless of what obstacles coming my way."
Thompson squashed any doubts of retiring with his physicality this season that elevated the play of the entire defense. He recorded 54 tackles, six for loss, one sack and one forced fumble.
The linebacker isn't the only player who's faced doubt head-on and drop kicked it into the abyss. Second-year safety Cole Bishop felt the skepticism too.
"There's a lot of doubts about this defense, about myself," Bishop said.
Bishop didn't let the uncertainty ruin his identity or what he had worked for all off-season.
The young safety was one of three players in the league this year to record at least 75 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions. When he's on the field, it's evident that Buffalo's defense is better. His knowledge, instincts and physicality shined bright this season.
One of the team's biggest tone setters, Franklin Jr., fought through a lot of adversity in life and points to his resiliency as why he saw it through.
"The mindset is everything for me," Franklin Jr. said. "Having to work three or four jobs to get money to get to prep school … Being undrafted, not having a Pro Day, not even getting invited to the Combine because of Covid … That's how I feel like I got to the league. That's how I'm staying in the league is because of the grit that I have."
The team believes it's a trickle-down effect. The gritty mindset starts with their head coach and then goes to their quarterback.
"Our coach is the first person," White explained. "He exemplifies that gritty, blue collar, just hard work and earning everything that's coming our way. And I just think that whenever your leader is that way, that's where he wants his team to be, and he's built it that certain way and that's why we keep going."
After playing with Allen for eight seasons, White believes his QB sets the best example of leaving it all on the field and doing whatever it takes to help earn a win.
"You never know what that guy's facing, he's out there battered up against the Jaguars and just has so much grit," White said. "And then to be able to face all that and also handle the pressure of we need you to go win this game for us … His confidence never wavers … We are going to live and die by 17, that's why he's the best one."
That's not the only player the team is living and dying by. Allen thinks White motivates the team because of setbacks he conquered and the smile he wears today.
"Everybody in Buffalo loves Tre White, and I'm included in that," Allen said. "Not just the player that he is, but the man, the adversity that he has fought through his entire career … He's going out there and making plays for this defense … I just have so much respect for him."
The nine-year veteran overcame two major injuries—a torn ACL (2021) and a torn Achilles (2023). In 2025, he's playing some of his best football. In the final minute of the Wild Card game, White flew to the football and tipped Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence's pass, which led to a game-ending interception by Bishop.
"No matter how big the odds are stacked against me, I'm going to keep going," White explained. "I got a burning desire in me to always do great. And I know with the work that I put in and how much I love this game and the dedication that I put towards it, it's going pay off at some moment."
Keeping it going | How grit keeps the Bills alive in the postseason dance
The pressure to perform gets packed on in the playoffs. The stakes are higher with a win or go home test. Thankfully, the season-long production of a mentality shines brightest when it's all on the line. The tales of how each player battled to get to that moment makes their teammates fight that much harder for them.
"This is the time of year where there's a heightened state of awareness," Poyer said. "And when you have guys that you care about, guys that you love, it just makes it that much more meaningful to go out there and play the game for those guys."
They also lean on each other in the heat of the battle. The energy and experience a teammate exudes can lift an entire unit. Franklin Jr. is known for always bringing the energy on special teams, whether it's a big-time tackle or talking smack to opponents. Against Denver, it's on another level because it's the first time he's tasted the playoffs in his six-year career.
"It's my first time being in the playoffs, so I just want to come out and start the fire," Franklin Jr. said. "Just help the fire continue to go as we go through these playoffs. We got one mindset … We just want to win one game at a time, one play at a time."
Allen believes in this group because of what they showed him all season. They're not backing down from anything. When it's time to step up, they answer the call.
"The mindset, the grit, the players that we have in this locker room," Allen said. "Being in different scenarios and fighting out of it and finding ways to win football games, just the belief in who we've got in this locker room."
As the team prepares for, what will hopefully be, three more weeks of football, they'll think about the gritty moments that molded who they are — the double-digit comeback wins, losing multiple starters but trudging through, playing through injuries and much more.
"We're just a bunch of dogs, trying to achieve greatness," Dawkins said. "I think the Super Bowl is 23 days away. I know that McDermott doesn't want guys talking about it, but we think about it … This is why we're working; we're working for greatness to become football legends."
