The Buffalo Bills are entering the 2022-2023 NFL season as the favorites to win the Super Bowl. The last time those words were uttered were 30 years ago after a shocking defeat by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXV. That Bills team is still the only team in NFL history to reach four consecutive Super Bowls, albeit losing each one. But that goes to show how much hype and expectation there is this year.
To help drive the point home, the Bills are 2.5 point favorites Thursday night in Los Angeles. The Rams are the defending Super Bowl champions unveiling their new banner that night. And Las Vegas has the Bills favored, according to FanDuel.
The Bills offense is led by quarterback Josh Allen, who set the league on fire last season. He threw for over 4,400 yards and 36 touchdown passes. Those are already great numbers but it's what he can do with his legs that truly set him apart. Allen ran for 763 yards and six more scores on the ground. Clearly, his production is very much tied to the Bills' success. But he is not alone.
We reveal the Bills X-factor for the 2022 NFL season.
The Bills 2022 X-Factor
Bills Running Game
There is little reason to believe Allen won't ball out again this year. He still has Stefon Diggs as his top target. Diggs is easily one of the best wide receivers in all of football. On the other side, Gabriel Davis emerged as a legitimate threat opposite Diggs. Down the stretch last season, Davis scored four touchdowns in the final five games of the regular season. He scored again versus the rival New England Patriots. Everyone obviously remembers his 200-yard, four touchdown performance against the Chiefs one week later in the AFC Divisional Round overtime loss.
But what most people did not notice was not only the success of Devin Singletary, but the willingness to give him the ball.
For most of the season, Singletary and fellow running back Zack Moss shared the rushing duties. Neither of them averaged double-digit carries. The Bills would have ranked dead last in the NFL in rushing attempts if you eliminate Allen's 120 carries. It was if Sean McDermott and the Bills coaching staff simply did not trust his tailbacks.
But then something changed around Week 15. Singletary suddenly had 22 carries in a single game. He turned that into 86 yards and a touchdown. The final three games after that he rushed the ball 54 times for 237 yards and four more touchdowns.
Then offensive coordinator Brian Daboll finally realized that because of the Bills passing attack, they were seeing consistent six-man fronts. You have to be able to take advantage of that up front. They did.
The Bills drafted James Cook, the running back out of Georgia, with their second round pick in this year's NFL Draft. Cook, along with Singletary and even Moss, have all reportedly looked good in training camp. But if the Bills want to continue to see things look easy for their offense, the running game is a big X-factor.
Follow Us
Subscribe