It was a team that entered 2024 having reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons. However, general manager Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills had some work to do when it came to tweaking its roster. The club had plenty of decisions to make in terms of getting under the salary cap, and some familiar names would no longer be with the team.
Beane got the job done. The franchise moved on from players such as wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, safety Jordan Poyer, pass-rusher Leonard Floyd, cornerback Tre’Davious White, and reliable center Mitch Morse for assorted reasons. When it was all said and done, the club won a fifth straight AFC East title and won two more games (13) than they had a year earlier (11).
Buffalo Bills tie an important NFL record
The knock on talented quarterback Josh Allen is that the strong-armed signal-caller and effective runner can be a little loose when it comes to the football. The seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft saw action in 12 games as a rookie. He completed only 52.8 percent of his passes for 2,074 yards, 10 touchdowns and a dozen interceptions. He spent his debut campaign running away from defenders, and finished the season with 631 yards on the ground and eight scores. However, he also put the ball on the ground eight times, and lost two of those fumbles.
In each of his first six seasons in the league, Allen totaled at least 13 turnovers. Of course, there were also plenty of touchdown passes and jaunts into the end zone. Enter 2024, he had played in a total of 94 regular-season contests. He threw for a combined 22,703 yards and 167 touchdowns, and rushed for 3,611 yards and 53 scores. However, he was also picked off a total of 78 times, and lost 24 of his 59 fumbles.
In 2023, the Bills started 6-6 and needed to win their final five games to capture the AFC East. McDermott’s team committed 28 turnovers a year ago, and Allen gave up the rock a career-high 22 times.
High efficiency
Now, the bad news (not really) is that Allen, named to his third Pro Bowl this year, was responsible for every turnover committed by McDermott’s team this season. The great news is that the Bills gave up the football a total of eight times in 17 contests. That turnover total ties the NFL single-season record for the fewest miscues by a team, set originally by the New Orleans Saints in 2019.
This season, Allen finished with his fewest passing yards (3,731) and TD tosses (28) since ’19. He also set a new personal best with only six interceptions. Those eight turnovers were easily his fewest in a season. As a team, Buffalo committed 20 fewer turnovers than in 2023 (28). It’s the biggest reason McDermott’s club easily led the NFL in turnover differential (plus-24).
More efficient play on the offensive play could lead to a longer playoff run. The Bills haven’t been to the Super Bowl since 1993, and haven’t even reached the AFC title game since Patrick Mahomes outdueled Allen at Arrowhead Stadium in 2020. Could this be the year they finally return to the “Big Game?” It starts on Sunday at Orchard Park vs. Sean Payton’s Broncos.