How is Josh Allen of the Bills going to get further offensive support?
New York’s Orchard Park Josh Allen found it difficult to accept that the Buffalo Bills were done for this season following yet another playoff setback to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“We were right there,” general manager Brandon Beane remarked to Allen following the game. “I don’t think he had reasoned that we lost the game.” Tell me that we won this game.
Speaking with reporters the following day, Allen still felt the same way.
Allen remarked, “We’re not practicing today, and it still feels unreal.” Our season didn’t seem to be over yet. It still doesn’t feel that way, to be honest.
For the Bills, losing in the postseason has become an all-too-familiar feeling. The standard has increased in the years since they overcame their protracted playoff drought, mostly due to Allen’s performance.
The Bills have one AFC Championship and zero Super Bowl appearances in the years since Allen was drafted in 2018, while owning the third-best winning percentage in the NFL.
In addition to concerns about the defense’s inability to stop Patrick Mahomes in the postseason, Allen’s postseason performance has not been the problem. 64.6% completion percentage, 21 passing touchdowns, four interceptions, 83 rushing attempts for 563 yards, and five rushing scores. This raises the question of whether the group surrounding him is good enough to advance.
When 2024 begins, Allen will be 28 years old and in his seventh NFL season. The Bills are going into this season with a lot of questions and little cap space to deal with.
Speaking about a roster that has practically been played out, Beane reaffirmed on Tuesday that this isn’t a team that is rebuilding. However, the same outcomes have left a fan base unsatisfied and bereft of answers.
What’s next in the effort to provide offensive assistance for Allen?
All three of the Bills’ coordinator jobs are under doubt going into the summer, but Allen’s open endorsement of interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady makes him the front-runner to keep the job. Under Brady’s coaching, the Bills only dropped one game during the regular season.
“I cherish Joe. I adore the energy and enthusiasm he gives to our offense, this team, and football in general. He gets my vote,” Allen remarked.
With Brady, Allen felt the offense ran the ball “very well” and “simply better.” The Bills had the second-highest designed rush percentage (46.5%) in the NFL when Brady took over playcalling in Week 11, down from 26th in Weeks 1–10 (35.5%).
On Tuesday, McDermott stated unequivocally that he prefers to pass first while stressing the value of the ground game.
“I got cut around by Andy Reid, the coach who was all about passing first and throwing to win. And that has essentially been my guiding principle here from the beginning,” McDermott stated.
“I do think that you have to be able to dominate the line of scrimmage and run when you need to run, especially since Josh has developed into the quarterback that he is. Therefore, I believe it is crucial that we be able to run the football, especially in Western New York.”
Brady might execute his offensive philosophy more effectively with a full summer. Methodically, Allen said, he anticipated a small shift, and he was “eager” to see what it may be.
Running the ball more with Allen—who had 48 carries in the first ten games and 83 in the nine that followed—was one of the things Brady emphasized.
“We don’t want to take it away as long as he’s smart about running the ball,” Beane stated.
The advice would be for them not to. Restricting Allen’s running ability reduced his overall potency. Prior to the Chiefs game, Brady stated, “I believe you’re probably doing a disservice when you try to hold Josh Allen back.”
In 2023, the bills just didn’t have enough of them. Only 12% of completions went for 20 yards or more (25th in the NFL), while 4.9% of offensive plays for the Bills, including the playoffs, went for 20 yards or more (28th).
Stefon Diggs’ long pass drop on the opening play of the Bills’ last offensive drive served as a perfect example of this fact in the team’s defeat to the Chiefs. Diggs caught 5 out of 24 receptions with at least 20 air yards when he was targeted.
“When you’re competing for a chance to go to the AFC Championship or a chance to go in the playoffs, all that means your best players have to play well,” stated Beane.
And many of our guys performed admirably, but once more, a play here or a play there might mean the difference between us losing by three points and continuing to play this week.
Improving yards after catch (YAC) was one goal going into the season. That was the highest average for the offense with Allen as quarterback in 2023, at 5.2 yards per reception.
More huge plays and less of the need for Allen to bear the entire burden would result from that number having to rise.
The fact that all five of the starting offensive linemen are signed for the upcoming season is fantastic news for the Bills in that regard. This season, the team, which started every game, gave Allen a career-low 24 sacks.
According to McDermott, “an explosive run, an explosive pass, or a big time penalty, say on the defense,” are usually baked into a scoring drive.
“I know it, we know that, and going forward, when we examine our roster and consider player acquisition, it’s something we need to really consider.”
Both wide receiver Gabe Davis and receiver Trent Sherfield Sr. plan to investigate free agency in March, as Davis himself confirmed on Monday.
In order to prevent opponents from focusing on Diggs, 30, Beane stressed on Tuesday that the team still regards him as a No. 1 receiver and that it must “continue to throw weapons out there.” Diggs would be difficult to replace because he is expected to have the second-highest cap hit on the team.
But Buffalo must increase the space available for wide receivers. Although Beane has never selected a wide receiver on the first or second day of the draft, it makes the most sense going forward given the limited cap room.
On the offensive side, tight endIt will be interesting to see Dalton Kincaid’s second season, and there will be great hopes for James Cook, the running back, to get better in year three.
The Bills always have a chance with Allen around, but how they handle him this offseason will be crucial, particularly at his current stage of the game.
Beane remarked, “You know you’re always switching around the lineup, but this is a quarterback league, and I think we have a good quarterback.”
“I don’t subscribe to the window closing or being closed, but we have other players that have to help; [Allen] can’t do it alone.”
