ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — It’s been about nine months since Brandon Beane addressed a skeptical fanbase questioning whether the Bills season was already doomed in the wake of receiver Stefon Diggs being dealt to Houston.
Not only did the general manager refuse to give in to the overwhelming sense of doubt, Beane actually attempted to reassure everyone that trading his top receiver somehow represented a step forward.
“This by no means is the Bills giving up or trying to take a step back or anything like that. Everything we do, we’re trying to win,” Beane said. “It’s April 3rd or 4th or whatever it is, and we’ll continue to work on this roster and make sure we’re ready to play come September.”
Who’s doubting him today?
Though major hurdles are ahead, starting with Buffalo hosting the Denver Broncos (10-7) in a wild-card playoff matchup on Sunday, BetMGM Sportsbook currently lists the Bills as being tied with Baltimore in having the third-best odds (plus-600) of winning the Super Bowl, behind only two-time defending champion Kansas City (plus-350) and Detroit (plus-280).
The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills (13-4) certainly have their flaws, particularly on a defense that has compensated for finishing 17th in the NFL in yards allowed by forcing the third-most takeaways (32).
But make no mistake on offense where Josh Allen has overseen a balanced attack with a selfless “everybody eats” approach in setting franchise single-season records for points (525) and touchdowns (65), while becoming the NFL’s first team to score at least 30 TDs passing and rushing in a season.
This is the type of multi-threat attack Buffalo lacked in being overdependent on the Allen-to-Diggs connection during its previous four seasons, which ended with the Bills being eliminated in the divisional round three times, and an AFC championship game loss in 2020.
Perhaps, this more-the-merrier approach is what Beane envisioned when making what he still considered a difficult decision in parting ways with Diggs. The receiver topped 1,100 yards and 100 catches in each of his four seasons in Buffalo, and his 37 touchdown receptions accounted for more than a quarter of Allen’s total during that span.
This season, the Bills became the NFL’s ninth team to have 13 players catch a touchdown pass, with Mack Hollins having a team-best five. Khalil Shakir, meantime, led Buffalo with 76 catches and 821 yards, while it took James Cook needing a 17th game to top 1,000 yards rushing.
It’s on defense where the major questions remain, and whether the unit can do enough to contain opponents to provide Allen a chance to carry the day. Buffalo did so in an electric 48-42 win over Detroit, and nearly did so again in 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The one major setback was a 35-10 loss to Baltimore in Week 4, in which the Ravens grabbed a 21-3 lead by scoring on their first three possessions. Derrick Henry opened the scoring with an 87-yard touchdown run and finished with 199 yards rushing.
The Ravens were Buffalo’s only opponent this season to finish the season ranking in the top 10 in both offense and defense. While the Bills were the only team to beat each of the conferences’ top seeds, they went a combined 2-3 against teams in the playoff field.
Low as expectations were in April, they’ve risen exponentially over the course of Buffalo’s fifth 13-win season in team history, and third since 2020.
Ultimately, Beane and the Bills will be judged on whether they can overcome their past playoff shortcomings.
What’s working
Pass protection. The Bills allowed a league-low 14 sacks this season, the fewest since Indianapolis allowed 13 in 2009.
What needs help
Red zone D. Buffalo finished 16th in the league and 10th among playoff teams in allowing opponents to score touchdowns on 57.4% (35 of 61) of their drives inside the 20.
Stock up
Cook. Aside from topping 1,000 yards rushing with 28 yards in a mean-nothing 23-16 loss to New England on Sunday, the third-year player scored his 16th TD rushing to tie the team’s single-season mark set by O.J. Simpson in a 14-game season in 1975.
Stock down
PK Tyler Bass. Reminded everyone of his season-long inconsistencies by missing an extra-point attempt on Sunday — his fifth miss of the season.
Injuries
Returner Brandon Codrington hurt his hamstring against New England. LB Terrel Bernard (quadriceps) is trending toward playing after missing one game.
Key number
11-0 — Buffalo’s regular-season home record since a 24-22 loss to Denver on Nov. 13, 2023.
Next steps
The Bills are 4-0 in wild-card outings, all at home, since a 22-19 OT loss at Houston in 2019. Buffalo defeated Denver 10-7 in the 1991 AFC championship game in the teams’ only previous playoff meeting.