The Buffalo Bills are headed toward their third playoff berth in four seasons. They have won many of the games they should have and are primed for a potential run in the postseason. That said, however, the team does have some question marks. With the playoffs on the horizon and meaningful football to be played down the stretch, the Bills have a group of areas where they need to tighten up heading into January.
Concerns for the Buffalo Bills Heading into the Postseason
Finishing Games
The Bills have had their fair share of issues putting teams away. They have relinquished leads too often or have given their opponents opportunities to stay in games. They’ll have to solve this mystery to avoid a repeat of their 2019 Wild Card game against the Houston Texans in which surrendered a 16-point lead by failing to put the nail in the coffin.
The 2020 season hasn’t been much different. In Week 3 against the Los Angeles Rams, the Bills led by the infamous score of 28-3. They then lost that lead and scored a touchdown to win at the end with some help from the officials. The Seattle Seahawks also threatened the lead when they pulled within seven points late in the third quarter of their matchup with Buffalo, but the Bills kept scoring. Against the Arizona Cardinals, the Bills paid the price for not being able to put the game away when they lost after leading 23-9 to what will forever be known as the “Hail Murray.”
Losing the lead can be a result of a defense that can’t stop the opponent’s offense. That’s typically not the case for the Bills though. Their defense started off the season slowly but has rounded into form over the past few weeks. However, the Bills could benefit from a few scores on defense, something they haven’t been able to do since 2018.
The Bills have struggled to continue scoring on offense at times which has hurt their ability to close out games. They’ll have to capitalize on scoring opportunities and find ways to bury opponents. That’s obviously easier said than done. But Buffalo can’t afford to play with fire this way heading into the postseason.
Josh Allen’s Struggles
Josh Allen started the season as a legitimate MVP candidate. His completion percentage is way up compared to his first two seasons. His athleticism and arm strength make him a bona fide dual-threat. He can evade defenders in the pocket and cause them to cover for a few more seconds or take off with the ball and hurt them with his legs–especially if defenses are playing man coverage. But the verdict is still out on Allen. He is undoubtedly Buffalo’s franchise quarterback, but can he clean up some of his inconsistencies protecting the ball?
Allen often struggles to make the right play in some instances. He sometimes tries to get rid of the ball while he’s being tackled and throws it up for grabs. He places the ball in harm’s way at times by throwing into coverage rather than simply throwing the ball away. Allen also fumbles the ball on occasion trying to make a big play or just plainly not protecting it. The Bills have 16 turnovers on offense; Allen accounts for eight interceptions and five fumbles lost. That’s certainly not a winning recipe. Protecting the ball is the number-one priority on offense. And not to insinuate turnovers are avoidable but by accounting for 13 out of 16 of the offense’s turnovers, Allen himself must do a better job salvaging the football.
The Bills have been lucky enough so far this season to overcome many of these errors. But they can’t expect to advance in the playoffs if they don’t fix these blunders by January.
Run Defense
The Bills rank near the bottom of the league in rush defense at 25th in rushing yards allowed and 29th in rushing touchdowns, but we’ve seen this before with a Sean McDermott defense.
Buffalo went on a three-game losing streak in which they gave up rushing totals of 194, 298, and 146 in 2017. In their Wild Card game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that year, they could not contain Blake Bortles and gave up over 150 rushing yards to lose their first playoff game in 17 years.
In three of the Bills losses this season, they have given up rushing totals of 139, 245, and 217. They have to find a way to sure up their run defense if they expect to win playoff games.
Complementary Football
The Bills are currently 8-3 and hold the fourth seed in the AFC but have yet to put together a full four quarters of complementary football. Playing consistently well on both sides of the ball hasn’t been their forte up to this point. Complimentary football can sometimes be viewed as cliché but not when it comes to the Bills. Through the first four weeks of the season, the Bills offense was rolling. Even then, the defense struggled to defend teams at times.
The Bills rank 21st in total defense and 10th in offense. Some teams, however, have had success being dominant on one side of the ball. The Kansas City Chiefs rank 1st in offensive yards and 18th on defense. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 22nd in offensive yards and 3rd on defense. The Bills do not rank that high in either category, so their margin for error is much slimmer. They’ll have to put it all together in the playoffs to compete with better football teams.
Every team has concerns, and no team is perfect. The Steelers have looked beatable in many of their matchups and their schedule appears to be a cakewalk. Yet, they have won the games they should have. And if the Bills want to enjoy an extended stay in these playoffs, they’ll have to start putting teams away, doing a better job protecting the ball, defending better against the run, and finding ways to play complementary football.
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