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.
2. Buffalo Bills must have more carries from the running backs
Running back Devin Singletary has led Sean McDermott’s team in rushing yardage each of the past three seasons. The unsung performer totaled 188 attempts for 870 yards and four scores in 2021. It’s worth noting that the Bills have not had a player run for 1,000-plus yards since LeSean McCoy turned the trick in both 2017 (1,138), as well as 2016 (1,267).
Yes, only five teams in the league gained more yards per game on the ground – averaging 129.9 yards per contest. But quarterback Josh Allen’s ability to escape the pocket is a big part of what the Bills do when it comes to the running attack. In 45 regular-season outings the past three seasons (2019-21), Singletary has run for a combined 2,332 yards and 11 scores. In 61 regular-season contests since 2018, Allen has rushed for 2,325 yards and an impressive 31 touchdowns.
The talented four-year quarterback led Buffalo in the postseason with 134 yards rushing on just 17 carries. But Singletary carried a team-best 26 times for 107 yards and had all three of the club’s rushing TDs in the playoff split with the Patriots and Chiefs. Could two-year running back Zack Moss – who ran 96 times for 345 yards and four scores this past season – play a bigger role for the team in 2022?
1. Better ball security by QB Josh Allen
As great as quarterback Josh Allen has been the past two seasons, there is still an aspect of his game that needs to improve. But a comparison of his first two years in the league compared to 2020 and ’21 is simply startling.
The seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft played in the combined 29 games in his first two seasons, including a playoff tilt against the Houston Texans in ‘19. He threw for 30 scores, served up 21 interceptions, and lost seven of his 24 fumbles.
Fast forward to these past two seasons, which has seen a far more accurate and productive Allen. There have been a total of 38 outings for the talented signal-caller – including five postseason tilts. He’s thrown more than three times as many TD passes (87) as picks (26). But he’s also fumbled 20 times and lost nine of those miscues.
The Bills gave up the football 22 times in 17 regular-season outings and Allen had 18 of those miscues. Yes, he and the team played turnover-free football in the playoff split with the Patriots and Chiefs. But the four-year quarterback still has some fine-tuning to do when it comes to his game.