While the Kansas City Chiefs currently hold the role as the cream of the crop in the AFC, there has been a changing of the guard in the top threat to unseating them: the Buffalo Bills. Plus, with the Pittsburgh Steelers going from undefeated to three consecutive losses and a chance to lose their AFC North lead, the Bills are in a great position to set their sights on the best team in their conference.
Having secured the AFC East title, the Bills only have seeding to play for, even though their Week 6 defeat at the hands of the Chiefs will prevent Buffalo from jumping up to earn the conference’s lone bye for this year’s postseason slate. But as it currently stands, holding the No. 2 seed pits the Bills against the Miami Dolphins, which would be a much better fit than sliding down to No. 3 and having to face the more dangerous Indianapolis Colts.
Regardless of where the Bills end up in the final postseason seeding, one thing is known: their status as the best and biggest threat to the Chiefs for the AFC crown is quite real, and these are three reasons why they are a strong foe that the Chiefs will need to keep their eyes on.
Josh Allen finally has proven he deserves full control of the offense
Accuracy concerns, the lack of a bona fide No. 1 wide receiver, and a missing rushing attack have all held quarterback Josh Allen back in his young career, yet all elements have aligned perfectly for the upstart Bills this year, helping push Allen from the mid-tier of QB rankings all the way into the MVP discussion in a blink of an eye.
Allen has finally risen to the status of first-round pick justification for Buffalo, and the former Wyoming Cowboy seems to have cemented himself firmly into the discussion involving the top signal-callers in the league.
Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has helped unleash Allen and his weapons (more on them later), helping him overcome his accuracy concerns by establishing a route tree that suits his strong arm well while also encouraging safer throws than in the past.
An underrated element of Allen’s breakout this season is his comfort level to stand back in the pocket instead of just giving up on a play and running the ball. Compared to the first two years in the league, Allen is on target for a normal season’s worth of carries, but his yardage is way down, suggesting that he is being used in more efficient situations. This speaks a lot to why he has eight rushing scores on the year.
His career best of nine rushing scores could be eclipsed in the final two regular-season games of the year, but his efficiency has been the biggest catalyst in why this offense has done so well this year and why the Bills as a whole are a much better team.
Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, John Brown, and Gabriel Davis
This quartet of offensive pass-catchers, combined with Isaiah McKenzie and Dawson Knox, have all provided Allen with his best core of receivers to date, speaking to the front office’s prerogative last offseason.
When they acquired Stefon Diggs for a first-round selection, which, as everyone knows turned into rookie standout receiver Justin Jefferson for the Minnesota Vikings, the Bills were chastised for giving up that kind of a package for Diggs. But the supposed prima-donna look that he was accused of displaying while with the Vikings has not shown up once in Orchard Park, turning this deal into a rare win-win for both sides.
But outside of Diggs and his 1,314 receiving yards, Cole Beasley has probably been one of the biggest wide receiver surprises in the entire league this year. While his near-1,000-yard output has been helped big-time by John Brown missing time due to injury, Beasley has carved out a solid role for Allen as his go-to slot guy, someone who can split the field alongside Diggs or do the dirty work and work the crossing routes for tough yards.
Beasley made a living off that in Dallas, and he has finally been able to find that efficiency for the Bills, giving Allen a safety valve on most every passing play.
Diggs is hard enough for opponents to stop, seeing as how his 10.5 targets per game have stood the test of time over the season, but Beasley and the other weapons provide opposing defenses with a lot to handle. Not to mention, both Devin Singletary and Zack Moss offer receiving abilities out of the backfield, forcing defenses to cut their losses and hope Allen does not find their coverage deficiencies on every play.
Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, and Ed Oliver have helped lead a defensive resurgence
An underrated element of the success of the Bills this season is their defense, something that certainly makes former defensive coordinator Sean McDermott extremely happy.
Having just received a contract extension, their now-head coach is one of the non-offensive minds leading an NFL team, and his ingenuity has helped consistently throw a top defensive unit out on the field for Buffalo.
Cornerback Tre’Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer, and defensive tackle Ed Oliver have been the defensive stalwarts to stand out this year, and for good reason.
Both White (75.6) and Poyer (71.6) grade out exceptionally well, according to Pro Football Focus, and while Oliver’s rating (46.9) seems to put him quite low when compared to fellow defensive tackles, his role in the Buffalo defense holds more value than what PFF grades him out for.
Outside of these players, guys like Micah Hyde, Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, and Josh Norman all are integral to this defense’s strengths, which was ranked as being the 15th-best D/ST on the season coming into Week 15, according to ESPN.
The Chiefs test all levels of opposing defenses, something that the Bills saw firsthand, but their D/ST unit is built well across all levels to be able to withstand that kind of offensive onslaught.
This Bills team is hands down one of their best squads this side of the year 2000, and Allen is the focal reason for that. If he can continue to play at the level that he currently is at, then the Chiefs, as well as the rest of the AFC, should officially be put on notice, as Buffalo looks to be a great option to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.
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