The Buffalo Bills were one of the more pleasant surprises in the NFL this past season, winning 10 games and earning a Wild Card berth in the playoffs.
They didn't win in the postseason, extending their drought to 24 years, but hey — making the playoffs is a start.
With Tom Brady no longer in the AFC East, the door has suddenly been flung open for the Bills to potentially assert themselves as the best team in the division. Are they up for the challenge?
Here are the biggest questions surrounding Buffalo heading into 2020.
3. Can the offensive line continue to improve?
The Bills invested in their offensive line last offseason, and the results were positive. While Buffalo's offensive line was still far from great (Pro Football Focus ranked it 21st in the NFL in 2019), it was considerably better than the year prior.
Dion Dawkins had a solid season at left tackle, and the free-agent addition of Quinton Spain definitely helped, as well.
This unit is still pretty young, so it has room for improvement. Plus, with more time together, the cohesion should get better, resulting in a more stable line.
One thing is for sure: Protecting Josh Allen should be a priority moving forward. So the offensive line continuing to grow will be paramount in 2020 and beyond.
2. Will Josh Allen improve?
Allen is an interesting talent under center.
While he isn't Lamar Jackson, he is still very athletic, having rushed for 510 yards and nine touchdowns in 2019. He also has great size, at 6-foot-5 and nearly 240 pounds, and he has a cannon for an arm.
But there are also some concerns.
For one thing, Allen is not a very accurate passer. He completed just 58.8 percent of his passes this past year, and while that was a marked improvement from his rookie campaign (52.8 percent), it still isn't all that good.
And while Allen only threw nine interceptions on the year, it seemed pretty clear in the Bills' Wild Card round playoff loss to the Houston Texans that his decision-making leaves a lot to be desired.
On top of that, he barely eclipsed 3,000 yards in 2019, totaling 3,089.
Allen will have more talent as his disposal in 2020, as Buffalo has added Stefon Diggs to a solid receiving corps that also includes John Brown and Cole Beasley.
It's just still difficult to be entirely sold on Allen as a quarterback. Maybe he'll prove his doubters wrong.
1. Can the Bills handle expectations?
Let's face it: No one expected the Bills to win 10 games this past season. It's possible no one in Buffalo honestly believed that would happen.
But now, with the New England Patriots weakening and the rest of the division shaky, the Bills have suddenly become AFC East favorites in the eyes of many.
Can they handle those expectations?
Buffalo has a terrific defense, a very good head coach in Sean McDermott and an intriguing offense that should be better. Still, the Bills lack elite-level talent, so it would not be surprising if Buffalo actually took a step back in 2020.
We'll see how this young squad deals with the burden of legitimate pressure right out of the gate.
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