3 things the Buffalo Bills need to address in 2022

The Buffalo Bills have now reached the playoffs four of the last five seasons. But getting back to the Super Bowl continues to elude the team.

There was no postseason appearance for this franchise for 17 consecutive years from 2000-2016. Enter head coach Sean McDermott, who guided the club to a wild card appearance in 2017 with a 9-7 record. The team took a bit of a step backward the following year (6-10). But the Buffalo Bills have now reached the playoffs these last three seasons and won the AFC East two straight years.

Including the postseason, McDermott’s club owns an impressive 27-11 win-loss record the past two years combined. Unfortunately, three of those setbacks have been to the Kansas City Chiefs, the latest a gut-wrenching 42-36 overtime setback at Arrowhead Stadium in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

This is a club that allowed the fewest total yards in the league and also the fewest total point in 2021. But in the divisional round versus the Chiefs, the Bills were stung for 42 points and 552 yards of total offense – both season-worsts for the club.

So what’s the next step for McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane when it comes to bringing that elusive Super Bowl title to the franchise?

3. Buffalo Bills must have more emphasis on stopping the run

For the first time since 1999, the Buffalo Bills allowed the fewest total yards in the league. And Sean McDermott’s squad surrendered an NFL-low 289 points. That was a feat that the franchise hadn’t ever managed dating back to the start of the merger in 1970. All told, the team from Orchard Park was the lone squad in the league to allow fewer than 300 points.

While coordinator Leslie Frazier’s unit also gave up the fewest passing yards in the NFL, the Bills were a so-so 13th in rushing defense – giving up 109.8 yards per contest. Down the stretch, this unit was gashed in losses to the Colts (264) and Patriots (222) and allowed 182 yards on the ground in the playoff loss to the Chiefs. Enough said.