The Buffalo Bills are coming off a 13-3 season where they lost in the AFC Championship game to the Kansas City Chiefs. Rebounding after a deep run and strong season is always tough, but this Bills team is certainly built to keep moving. They are within the top six teams in terms of Super Bowl odds next year as we take a look at DraftKings Sportsbook to see how they view the Bills and their chances at a Super Bowl.
Buffalo Bills DraftKings Odds For Super Bowl +1200
Taking The Next Step
Taking The Next StepThe front office and Sean McDermott have been doing a tremendous job since taking over in Buffalo. Josh Allen made a major leap last season, and the Stefon Diggs trade certainly helped this offense kick things up a notch. We can certainly look at AFC teams loading up on a blueprint trying to beat the Chiefs for the next ten years since that is likely what will happen. Averaging over 30 points per game was certainly a good start, but the Bills defense doesn’t have that impact front seven needed to make that next jump. They allowed 21 rushing touchdowns this season and 4.6 yards per carry. A big issue with the Bills defense was that they ranked inside the top ten in blitz percentage but ranked in the bottom ten in pressure percentage. Bulking up against the run and finding that exterior pass rusher should be a major need this offseason.
Buffalo doesn’t have a ton of cap space and a bottom-four pick when it comes to the first round, but this is a deep draft class that they should obtain someone that can make an impact in year one. While I have seen some mocks that have them taking a big-time running back like Najee Harris or Travis Etienne, I am not sure if this is the best option. I like some of the edge rushers that will be available in this range. You also have used some draft capital on Devin Singletary and Zack Moss of late. Buffalo was very pass-heavy this past season, and getting away from that would be disappointing. It also creates a logjam of wasted picks if you don’t plan on giving one of those backs a full workload.
Strengths & Weaknesses
At this time, we were not sure how good Josh Allen would be, but now this is the Bills greatest strength. He finished the year averaging over 300 yards per game and had 37 touchdowns through the air. Allen also turned the ball over just ten times, which is a major upgrade from his prior seasons. Allen finished the year with a 69% completion percentage and 7.9 yards per pass. Stefon Diggs became an alpha wide receiver this past year, logging 127 catches on 166 targets and over 1,500 yards. We also saw a talented group behind him with Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, and John Brown all posting strong seasons. However, Brown dealt with injuries this year. The run game needs to play better, there is no doubt about it, but if Moss can stay healthy, the duo can certainly work out if the Bills remain pass-heavy.
As mentioned above, the defense has some holes they need to fill. I wouldn’t mind seeing a slight upgrade on the offensive line. That game against Kansas City was an eye-opener for the Bills offensive line. Allen is mobile and plays well against pressure, but this isn’t something that will hold each game. It would also lift the backfield as they were merely average in about every run offense category.
Prediction
With a large portion of the Bills returning, I expect them to win the AFC East again, even with Miami now lurking as a second team in the AFC East. New York and New England do not have contending teams at the moment, and the Bills are now in a spot where they can take advantage of a couple of weak divisional teams. Buffalo also has teams like the Falcons, Panthers, Steelers, Colts, Saints, Chiefs, and Titans on the schedule for next year so that they will see quality opponents. This year was proof they can contend with anybody, and some of those teams mentioned are in worse shape heading into the offseason and have question marks of their own. If they can get an impact guy in the front seven and see some progress from recent picks, I like the Bills to be in the mix again. Regardless of that, they will be a 10+ win team and stay within these top eight teams for Super Bowl odds.
