To many, the Buffalo Bills were the favorites to hoist the Lombardi trophy last season. Things were progressing as planned as they cruised through the regular season with a 13-3 record. After a Wild Card win against the Miami Dolphins it looked like the Bills were poised to make a run. Then it all came crashing down in a Divisional round match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills were blown out 27-10 and frustrations started to boil over between teammates. Will those off-the-field distractions carry over into 2023? Let’s break that down further and offer a record prediction for next season.
The Good
For the most part, the Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2023-2024 season looks the same. They did lose a key defensive piece in Tremaine Edmunds but were able to bring in Leonard Floyd in free agency. Floyd will help solidify the Bills defense as he finished the last three seasons with at least 9 sacks. Pairing him with the likes of Von Miller, Ed Oliver and Shaq Lawson will give the Bills an elite pass rush. The only real weakness as of now on this defense is at the middle linebacker spot where the Bills will rely on journeyman A.J. Klein.
On the offensive side of the ball, it’s all about Josh Allen. After a rough rookie campaign, Allen has shown he belongs in the elite tier of NFL quarterbacks. Allen has thrown for 4,000+ yards and 35+ touchdowns in the last three seasons and continues to impress with his arm. Allen finished first in total air yards last season with 2,837. The only real concern right now with Allen is the risk of injury. To combat that he has recently stated that he wants to become more of a pocket passer going forward. If the Bills want to win a Super Bowl they have to have Josh Allen healthy and he is starting to realize that.
The Bad
As I eluded to before there are off-the-field distractions that many haunt the Bills going forward. In the blowout loss against the Bengals Stefon Diggs was not happy and let his frustrations be known. This was not the first time Diggs was seen on the sidelines arguing with teammates and it’s something to watch closely. Diggs was also notably absent from the first day of OTA’s which head coach Sean McDermott admitted was concerning. There seems to be some tension behind the scenes between Diggs and the Bills. If they can’t figure out a resolution it could end up derailing their season.
The Prediction
Although the Buffalo Bills will still be in the hunt for the playoffs, I expect them to take a step back next season. The AFC East will be the best division in football and the Bills have the 4th toughest schedule in 2023. According to Vegas, the current projected win total for Buffalo is 10.5 and I think that is spot on. I have the Bills finishing slightly over that with 11 wins. They will once again be in the playoffs but can they finally make a run?
2023 Record: 11-6
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