Three questions: Has this Buffalo Bills offense exceeded everyone’s wildest expectations?
The Bills are scoring 31.8 points per game, which is on pace for a team record for a 16- or 17-game season, writes Mark Gaughan.
Three questions on our mind after Sunday’s wild victory by the Bills in Detroit:
1 Has this Bills offense exceeded everyone’s wildest imaginations?
Yes. The agent for offensive coordinator Joe Brady should look into the viability of patenting the phrase “Everybody Eats.”
The Bills are scoring 31.8 points per game, which is on pace for a team record for a 16- or 17-game season. The Bills averaged 31.3 in 2020. At the height of the no-huddle Super Bowl era in 1991, they averaged 28.6 (that’s second-most per game in a 16-game season).
Bills running back Ty Johnson runs after a catch during the first half against the Lions on Sunday. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
And they’re doing it without an established star receiver. Khalil Shakir is a budding star and the team leader with 71 catches. The Bills could have nine players hit the 20-catch mark, which would be a first in franchise history.
It speaks, first, to the greatness of Josh Allen, who is at the height of his powers in reading defenses and distributing the ball to the open man. And it speaks to the vision of the front office and coaching staff in jettisoning Stefon Diggs and building the receiver room.
2 What’s the bottom line on the Bills’ defense after this victory?
The defense deserves credit for bouncing back from last week’s bad showing in Los Angeles, even though the final statistics look bad – 42 points allowed and 521 yards allowed. Detroit’s 473 passing yards are the most ever by a Bills opponent, topping 464 by Houston way back in 1961.
Now for some caveats. The Bills were playing without three starting defensive backs (Damar Hamlin, Taylor Rapp and Rasul Douglas). Then they lost linebacker Matt Milano. And they were forced to skip a practice last week because of the snowstorm.
Yet, the Bills’ defense stopped the Lions on five of their first seven possessions. That allowed the Bills’ offense to take control of the game. The last 18 minutes (four Detroit TDs allowed) were not pretty.
But give the coaches credit for changing things up. They blitzed cornerbacks. They used a 4-3 front. They mixed in man coverage. And they got a rebound game from the defensive line.
3 Where does the AFC seeding race stand now?
The Bills (11-3) strengthened their hold on the No. 2 position, thanks to the loss by Pittsburgh (10-3) to Philadelphia. The Bills have the easier remaining schedule, with two games against New England (3-11) and one home game against the Jets (4-10). Pittsburgh has three rugged games remaining – at Baltimore (9-5) and home vs. Kansas City (13-1) and potent Cincinnati (6-8).
Kansas City now has a 77% chance at the No. 1 seed, according to the New York Times. The Chiefs would need to lose twice (with Buffalo winning out) to drop to No. 2. Not impossible. The Chiefs have Houston, Pittsburgh and Denver (9-5). The No. 2 seed remains critical. Kansas City will have a tough divisional round playoff opponent at home (Baltimore, potentially), and a Chiefs loss would give the Bills home field in the AFC title game (presuming, of course, the Bills can survive the first two rounds of the playoffs).
