After multiple seasons of falling short in the divisional round and losing some pieces in the offseason, the Bills have lower expectations than some may think. But with one of the league’s best QB’s at the helm, nothing is impossible. Welcome back to another edition of ‘The Super Bowl Race In The Perspective of Chase’, and today we will preview the Buffalo Bills 2024 season.
2023 Season
The Bills began 2023 strong with a 3-1 record and looked their usual selves. However, things just started to fall apart, especially offensively. The Bills were not running their offense efficiently, and weren’t strong enough defensively to off-set it. That’s why their postseason percentage was lower than 40% after finding themselves 5-5. However, Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey just the day after their fifth loss to Denver. And that’s when everything changed. James Cook was efficient. Allen was throwing terrifically. The offense as a whole was just working. And the Bills piled win, after win, and won five straight to win the AFC East for the fourth consecutive season and secure the 2nd seed in the AFC. They were viewed as one of football’s hottest squads. However, pass catchers disappointed in the playoffs, and a Tyler Bass missed kick along with it saw Buffalo out in round two to KC…again.
Offseason Additions and Losses
The Bills had a very shocking but also expected offseason. They hadn’t made any major moves the last few years, and clearly what they had in previous years just wasn’t getting them over the hump. But the defensive losses weren’t ideal. They had to let go of Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Leonard Floyd, Tre’Davious White and others on that side of the ball. Some of the better players at their positions, who also left for other contenders. So even though Von Miller is returning from injury, they lost a ton of pieces defensively. They also lost Gabe Davis, though I don’t think that was a priority for them. Overall, Buffalo has gotten really expensive, so they decided to trade Stefon Diggs to Houston for very little value in return. To be fair, they made sure to extend Mr. Underrated Taron Johnson, signed Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and drafted Keon Coleman with the first pick of the first round. So they made some moves to try to get cheaper. But from a proven production standpoint, Buffalo doesn’t have the reliable pieces they had last year.
X-Factor: Khalil Shakir
While Buffalo has Coleman, Samuel, MVS and Dalton Kincaid, there is no clear WR1 or ‘go-to’ target. That’s where Khalil Shakir can step in. With two years of experience under him, the former fifth round pick finds himself coming off of a great WR3 campaign. He totaled over 600 receiving yards last year, while possessing great cutting ability and acceleration in the open field. And he did it all as the third or maybe even fourth option on this team. Now–with his proven connection with Josh Allen and how reliable he can be as a weapon–Shakir can be the 1a or 1b wide receiver option. If he can do what he did last year with Diggs & Davis, then what can he do without them? The sky’s the limit for Shakir this year.
Reason for Concern: The Lack of Depth on Defense
I mentioned the amount of pieces Buffalo lost in free agency this year. Especially on the defensive side of the ball. But it gets worse. Because they’re gone, and Buffalo didn’t many players to replace them. And Matt Milano, who was expected to become the captain of the defense, suffered an injury and is out indefinitely. So Buffalo is reliant an older Miller and Johnson on defense. Not ideal. They have players who COULD be good pieces. Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver have the talent to be productive pass rushers, same goes for Nicolas Morrow and Rasul Douglas in their respective positions. But with injuries and inconsistencies, they’re skating on thin ice. Because they just don’t have the depth.
Reason for Promise: Josh Allen
The one thing Buffalo does have…Josh Allen. Every team has their weaknesses. But the glue to their success is Allen. He’s been an MVP candidate and one of the league’s most feared quarterbacks for the last four seasons. He has the arm talent, the consistency, the accuracy, the rushing ability to extend plays; he is one of the most skilled players in the game’s history. The one thing he does poorly: turning the football over. He’s led the NFL in interceptions in back-to-back seasons. Not quite ideal. But to have a dual-threat quarterback who’s shown he can go toe-to-toe with any player in the game, while also being able to extend plays with minimal talent…it all shows Allen is one of the best players in football. And if Buffalo is going far, it’s going to be because of the signal caller.
Prediction
Buffalo is a weird team. Because with Allen and how consistent they’ve been, they seem like a shoe-in for a postseason position. However, the Dolphins and Jets will both be competitive teams in the division, and Buffalo got significantly worse this offseason. I think Buffalo will win the division or at worst make the playoffs, but they don’t have enough talent to do anything scary in the playoffs.
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