The Buffalo Bills took the league by storm last year, and there’s good reason to believe they can do it again in 2021. Josh Allen is still around, Sean McDermott is one of the best coaches in the league, and the offensive line has dramatically improved over the past few years. According to PFF, the Bills have the fourth-best head coach in the league in Sean McDermott and the 13th-best offensive line.
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Buffalo Bills Have Top-Five Coach, Top-15 Offensive Line, Per PFF
Sean McDermott Among the Elite NFL Coaches
There really is no overstating just how good of a job Sean McDermott has done since arriving in Buffalo. After inheriting an absolute mess of a roster, McDermott and company have slowly but surely turned the Buffalo Bills into one of the elite teams in the AFC. Additionally, McDermott also helped to develop the incredibly raw Josh Allen into a fringe MVP candidate. This turnaround simply wouldn’t have been possible without McDermott overseeing the whole process.
PFF’s Eric Eager notes that, even when Allen struggled early in his career, McDermott still managed to get the most out of the formerly inaccurate and volatile passer. Buffalo steadily improved the supporting cast and had a high early-down throw rate, which made life a lot easier for Allen. Once Allen took the next step as a passer, his suddenly great skills combined with Buffalo’s coaching created one of the best offenses in all of football. McDermott’s lone weakness is his conservative nature on fourth downs, as he only went for it on 36% of suggested situations. However, that is a minor gripe compared to all of the great things he brings to Buffalo.
Enjoy 7 minutes of Josh Allen being a human highlight reel.
This one's for you, #BillsMafia@JoshAllenQB | @BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/b2qk7Q5vsJ
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) June 2, 2021
Interestingly enough, Eager believes that McDermott is the best coach in the AFC East. New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick came in sixth on this list, with Eager noting that Belichick appears to be falling behind the times. The head coach has always been one of the more conservative guys on fourth down, and that was especially true with Cam Newton running the offense. This could be merely a symptom of having a bad offense, but it will be interesting to see how Belichick does in his second year removed from Tom Brady.
Buffalo Bills Have 13th-Best Offensive Line
While this unit isn’t quite as impressive as Buffalo’s wide receiver room, this is still a notable improvement from where things were in 2018. PFF’s Steve Palazzolo notes that the strength of this unit lies on the outside, calling Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams “one of the league’s best” tackle tandems. Dawkins has been remarkably consistent throughout his career, while Williams has proven to be at his best working at right tackle.
🚨DION. DAWKINS.🚨#BUFvsNE | #GoBills pic.twitter.com/dLGw0PQx9q
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) December 21, 2019
The interior, however, could use some improvement. Mitch Morse is a solid starter, but the guard position is a major liability. Jon Feliciano is a great run-blocker, but his work in the passing game is a major liability, especially for such a pass-heavy team. Cody Ford, meanwhile, struggled during his first two years in the league. However, that isn’t uncommon for guards, and there is precedent for a third-year leap. This training camp and preseason will go a long way in determining the future of the former second-round pick.
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