After Sean McDermott was hired for the Buffalo Bills head coaching job, most fans and members of the media wrote the Bills off as a six-win team. McDermott brought in a lot of new faces to a depleted roster and got them to perform at a level no one expected.

Despite some speed bump games in the middle of the season, the Bills were able to finish the last handful of games on a strong suite. Former Bills’ coach and general manager Rex Ryan and Doug Whaley left the team with one of the weaker rosters in the NFL that happened to cost a lot of money. Micah Hyde was the flashiest signing an offseason ago, followed by smaller name players that turned into big factors.

At the very least, McDermott’s first year as the Bills’ head coach will be one of the most successful in team history.

Sporting News’ Bill Bender ranked all 32 NFL head coaches and despite the unexpected success for the 2017-2018 season, McDermott comes in as the 18th ranked head coach. Here is what Bender had to say in regards to his ranking:

Last year: 27

Record: 9-7, .563

Playoffs: 0-1 All McDermott did in his first season was break a playoff drought that extended back to 1999. He has created unbridled excitement in Buffalo heading into Year 2, especially if first-round pick Josh Allen turns out to be the answer at quarterback. McDermott, a career defensive coordinator before taking the Bills head coaching job, figures to have his approach balanced.

Cincinnati Bengals’ coach Marvin Lewis at 17, Oakland Raiders’ coach Jon Gruden at 16, Dallas Cowboys’ coach Jason Garret at 13 and Baltimore Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh at 11 were the few on the list that could be up for debate on whether McDermott is better at this point in time.