The Buffalo Bills have been the AFC East champions for the past three seasons (2020, 2021, 2022). The Bills have appeared in the postseason consecutively for the past four seasons. They made it to the AFC Championship in 2020 and lost to the Kansas City Chiefs by fourteen points. The Buffalo Bills have not made it to the Super Bowl since 1994 and have yet to win the coveted Lombardi Trophy. Here are three reasons why this may not be the year for them either.
3 reasons why the Buffalo Bills could regress in 2023
REASON #3- TURN IT OVER
Despite being one of the leading contenders in the AFC the Buffalo Bills were not careful with the football. At all. Quarterback Josh Allen was the team’s biggest offender as he launched 14 interceptions in the 2023 season.
Allen was tied for second in the league in interceptions alongside Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins, just behind Davis Mills and Dak Prescott. As if that wasn’t enough to make Bills Mafia lose sleep, Allen not only had 14 interceptions but he fumbled the football 13 times. The team collectively fumbled the ball 24 times, therefore Allen contributed to half of those turnovers. The Bills ranked as the 6th highest team in terms of fumbles; displaying a clear problem with ball security for their quarterback and their team in general.
They also had the same amount of fumbles in 2021 therefore improvement is necessary in 2023 if they hope to extend their time in the postseason. Allen threw one less interception in 2022 compared to 2021 so that is a slight improvement.
Overall, if the Bills don’t hold onto the ball and Allen doesn’t work on his accuracy and ball security they can keep their Super Bowl dreams as is; a dream.
3 reasons why the Buffalo Bills could regress in 2023
REASON #2- THROW IT TO DIGGS AND……?
Everyone knows the Buffalo Bills have a true number one receiver in Stefon Diggs. Beyond Diggs there is not much to write home about. Gabe Davis had his memorable four touchdown game in 2021 against the Chiefs, but since then he has not been a significant threat. In 2022 Davis was somewhat productive with 836 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns.
The concerning side is that Davis had 48 receptions out of 93 targets (51% completion percentage) and dropped 9 passes. Those drops (per Pro Football Reference) had Davis tied for fourth in wide receiver drops. After Davis the Bills are trotting out Trent Sherfield, Deonte Hardy, and Khalil Shakir. Not exactly an elite group with significant depth. While Diggs is a phenomenal target for Allen recent history is showing that there are some concerns between the duo.
Diggs was publicly upset with Allen during their playoff loss in 2022 against the Cincinnati Bengals at home in the snow. Then in the 2023 offseason there was an issue of Diggs missing mandatory minicamp, citing a possible internal issue with Diggs and the team/coaches/front office. Allen will always be looking for Diggs on the field but there is a concern that he could force the ball to Diggs in an attempt to keep the star receiver happy in upstate New York.
Bills fans don’t want Allen forcing the ball anymore than he already is, hence the aforementioned interceptions. But if the front office cant given Allen anymore competitive targets to throw to he does not have much of a choice. Either way this is not an ideal receiving situation for the Bills who have a consistent issue getting the ground game going.
Getting running back James Cook more involved, like they should have in 2022, would be a start.
3 reasons why the Buffalo Bills could regress in 2023
REASON #1- AFC CONTINUES TO HEAT UP
The Buffalo Bills held their own in the AFC last season, winning 9 out of their 11 AFC games. The Bills went 4-2 within their division, suffering a single loss to the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. The issue, which was also an issue for AFC teams last season, is the division continues to become more competitive while the NFC isn’t quite as cutthroat.
Unfortunately for Josh Allen and crew the AFC not only got stronger in the 2023 off season but their own division, the AFC East, got a Hall of Fame quarterback added to the mix. The Jets already were able to get one win over the Bills in 2022 but since then they added Aaron Rodgers to their squad making them an instant postseason favorite. Also in the AFC East the Dolphins made some significant offseason additions and if their quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, is as healthy as described they could be in for a tough interdivisional season.
Besides the Jets threatening the Bills’ postseason goals, they still have to contend with a host of other AFC teams that either added quality players to their roster in the offseason or at least maintained their core. The Bengals, who ended the Bills playoff dreams last season, still held onto the majority of their playmakers and the Kansas City Chiefs are always a beast to overcome. Some other AFC teams that could give the Bills headaches next seasons include the LA Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The 2023 season could be the Bill’s toughest challenge yet in the Josh Allen era and he plays a significant role in etching out their future.