Buffalo Bills: 11 wins – 6 losses, 3rd in the AFC
Built on solid foundations, Buffalo had donned the suit of contender before the season. Announced as the main rival of Kansas City, the Bills have not yet always reassured in 2021. Despite flattering statistics, the feeling was not always convincing and the team fought to the end to win its division and ensured his qualification.
How did they get there?
Sometimes overwhelming, sometimes ghostly, the Buffalo season has not been a long quiet river. Able to dominate the Chiefs with authority, they also managed to sink miserably against the worst team of the season just a small month later. To the point of seeing their participation in the playoffs called into question by pointing to 7th place AFC four weeks from the end of the regular season with a barely positive result.
But Sean McDermott was able to re-mobilize his troops in the home straight with 4 straight wins, including a convincing success on the New England field, to get a second consecutive division title. A title synonymous with field advantage for Act III of their duel against the Patriots.
The key player: Josh Allen
Metamorphosed in 2020, Allen has established himself as one of the very best in his post. This season, the quarterback has confirmed he’s not just a shooting star. Despite 2 or 3 average matches, he still showed the extent of his talent and showed formidable efficiency. With 4,400 yards in the air and nearly 800 on the ground, Allen poses a constant threat to opposing defenses.
True leader, he symbolizes the renewal and the return to the foreground of the Bills. When he’s in good shape, the whole team gets in tune and becomes almost unplayable. In osmosis with his offensive squad and in particular his targets, But too little helped by a ground game of which he is the main custodian, the attack rests almost exclusively on his shoulders and his performances. If he’s having a bad day, Buffalo will be in great danger.
Why are they going to go to the end?
Already a conference finalist last year, the team has grown even stronger during the last offseason. Talented on both sides of the ball, Buffalo is arguably the most complete team in the league. They are the only ones to be in the top 5 of the two squads. Explosive in attack, 5th in number of yards, 3rd in number of points, Allen and his troops are able to return any defense. Rich in talents and complementary, the receiving squad has a formidable and feared strike force. In addition to his connection with Stefon Diggs who has been wreaking havoc for two years, the quarterback is also a safety valve and a red zone target in the person of Dawson Knox.
First on the yards (by far) and on the points collected, the Bills are the only team to concede less than 300 yards per game. This solidity is based on great consistency more than on big names. The strength of the collective at the service of efficiency, a quality that often pays off in a campaign of qualifying matches.
Why won’t they go?
Victim of an air gap in the regular season, Buffalo’s ability to stay mobilized and keep a high level over 4 games raises questions. Josh Allen seemed to reconnect with his old demons at times by missing out on some matches. And when the quarterback isn’t quite right, his runners haven’t proven they can take the game on their own to relieve him. The Singletary-Moss duo painfully compile 1,200 yards between them. Allen not being able to do everything, this lack of productivity of the running back could be crippling when it comes to finding the Chiefs of Patrick Mahomes. The ability to master possession and the clock might be a key the Bills don’t have.
Injured players
Only one name is missing, and not the least. All Pro cornerback Tre’Davius White will be the big absentee in defense. Victim of a tear in the cruciate ligaments, the player will not return for several months. On the defensive line, it’s mostly in the rotation that Justin Zimmer will be missed.
Prognosis
A conference finalist last year, Buffalo acted early in the season as the legitimate frontrunner to represent the AFC at Super Bowl LVI. Talented, complete, experienced and very well coached, the team has all the assets to go very far.
If the team can avoid the trap set by Bill Belichick, the Bills may have done the hard part. With a constant Josh Allen and an applied and mobilized workforce under the leadership of McDermott, Buffalo could see the road to Los Angeles for the Big Game.
