ESPN ranked the Buffalo Bills’ full arsenal of weapons on offense as the ninth-best of any team in the NFL. The case can be made for this power ranking to both be right and wrong.
Buffalo’s breakout 2020 season was led by their offense. The Bills were also one game away from reaching the Super Bowl. So what gives?
Before providing our breakdown, here’s how ESPN‘s Bill Barnwell did:
So much for the inevitable clash between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, huh? Allen found an immediate rapport with his star wideout, who went on to lead the NFL in both receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). Diggs excelled in his debut season with the Bills, who seemed to find valuable receiver contributors up and down their roster. Cole Beasley had his most productive season out of the slot and Gabriel Davis emerged as an immediate contributor, but this even goes down to Isaiah McKenzie, who scored five touchdowns across 30 catches.
How, then, are the Bills one spot below where they were a year ago? The running back and tight end spots are more about scheme and rotation than standout talent. They swapped out John Brown, who looked like a legitimate No. 1 receiver heading into 2020, for 34-year-old Emmanuel Sanders. Beasley has threatened to retire over concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine. Diggs should continue to be a superstar, but there’s more of a drop-off between the former Vikings standout and the rest of the group than there was a year ago.
Adding to the intriguing ranking, the Bills actually dropped one spot in the former world-wide leader’s same power ranking from a year ago.
But to the outlet’s point, the Bills are really a curious group of weapons on offense. Their wideouts, led by Diggs, were excellent in 2020. Sanders might even upgrade that core.
However, their tight ends and running backs do certainly leave something to be desired. Factoring into the running game equation is Buffalo’s offensive line as well.
The whole product considered, the Bills landing in the top-10 in terms of overall playmakers around quarterback Josh Allen is justifiable. But Buffalo offensive coordinator Brian Daboll put the team over the edge last season by leaning on the wide receivers over the other playmakers. That’s how the Bills nearly cracked the Super Bowl.
One can expect that to continue again.
If we were talking only wide receivers, the Bills would easily be in the top-five or even three. Pro Football Focus even reflected that, naming Buffalo’s wideouts as the fourth-best unit heading into next season.
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