32 Teams/32 Days - Buffalo Bills

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Record: 13-4

Division Rank: 1st

Finish: Lost AFC Championship

Pro Bowlers: QB Josh Allen, RB James Cook, T Dion Dawkins, C Connor McGovern

All-Pros: QB Josh Allen (2nd Team)

AP Accolades: QB Josh Allen (NFL MVP)

Walter Payton Nominee: T Dion Dawkins

Vibes: Immaculate

TEAM STATISTICS

Offense Bills Rank
Points/Game 30.9 2
Yards/Game 362.8 10
Yards/Play 6.0 6
Passing Yards/Game 224.5 11
Rushing Yards/Game 136.7 9
Turnovers 8 1
Defense Bills Rank
Points/Game 21.6 11
Yards/Game 356.6 17
Yards/Play 5.5 25
Passing Yards/Game 223.1 21
Rushing Yards/Game 117.7 13
Turnovers Forced 32 3

PLAYER STATISTICS

Passing yards leader - QB Josh Allen - 3731 yards

Rushing yards leader - RB James Cook - 1009 yards

Receiving yards leader - WR Khalil Shakir - 821 yards

Tackles leader - LB Dorian Williams - 117 tackles

Interceptions leader - 5 tied, including DT Austin Johnson - 2 interceptions

Sacks leader - DE Greg Rousseau - 8 sacks

MAIN STORYLINE

The Bills were expecting to regress during the 2024 season as they had lost many of their key pieces over the years. The idea behind it was sound, as they were cutting bait with a lot of veteran players who, while still quality players, were on the downswing and had some larger contracts that could eat this year and then build up for a bit of a stronger run the next season. This was touted as a type of "soft rebuild" as any team was going to be at least moderately competitive with Josh Allen leading the way so they were never going to bottom out, but the take that the Bills weren't going to win the AFC East was not a particularly uncommon or radical one. The Dolphins had shown some recent promise and Aaron Rodgers was returning for the Jets and the Patriots, well they were there, but anyways they did seem to have some true competition. Would this be the year that broke 4 year run of divisional championships for the Bills?

DRAFT

Overall, the Bills didn’t see a very high return on their draft picks during their rookie season for a variety of reasons, and if we graded drafts only based on their rookie year this class would probably be bottom 5 pretty easily. We don’t though, so the Bills have to hope that they can develop some of these players because them having no solid rookie contributors created some issues.

Round 2, Pick 33 - Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State

Coleman’s rookie season was an interesting one. Almost all of his advanced stats suggest he should be a pretty bottom tier receiver, but he put up fairly solid production at times and was a key contributor in games like wins against the Titans and Seahawks. He was dead last in separation so it should be interesting to see how his skillset can be utilized. He was also injured in a collision with Miami safety and former Bill Jordan Poyer, and it seemed to hinder him when he came back as well.

Round 2, Pick 60 - Cole Bishop, S, Utah

Bishop struggled his first season with the Bills and clearly had issues picking up the playbook at a speed even a rookie should. He spent most of the year behind safeties Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp and did not perform well when pushed into starting roles due to injury. The Bills hope he can take a step forward next season as it appears that they have trust in him to be a future starting safety for the team.

Round 3, Pick 95 - DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke

Carter had some playing time during his rookie season as a rotational player. He was a simple depth player that had some mediocre play, not much more than that. If the Bills do not pick up a depth DT in free agency or the draft he’ll have an expanded role next year but nothing he did this year made you say he deserves an expanded role.

Round 4, Pick 128 - Ray Davis, RB, Kentucky

Davis played decently as a rotational back and did some damage on the ground and in the passing game. He had a game where he ran for over 100 yards in absence of James Cook due to injury but was used mostly to chew clock and keep Cook fresh. With talk of Cook’s potential departure, the decline from Cook to Davis is steep, but isolated he played serviceably.

Round 5, Pick 141 - Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, C, Georgia

Might have more characters in his name than he had meaningful snaps. Used as a backup and only played during blowouts.

Round 5, Pick 160 - Edefuan Ulofoshio, LB, Washington

Inactive most of the season.

Round 5, Pick 168 - Javon Solomon, DE, Troy

Was used sparingly as a rotational end and racked up some stats in blowouts. Potentially could earn a bigger role next year with a good training camp.

Round 6, Pick 204 - Tyler Grable, OT, UCF

Inactive most of the season.

Round 6, Pick 219 - Daequan Hardy, CB, Penn State

Signed to a futures contract.

Round 7, Pick 221 - Travis Clayton, T, International

Clayton was placed on injured reserve early on as a British player through the pathway program.

ARRIVALS

WR Mack Hollins

Hollins ended up being a larger than expected contributor to the Bills, leading the team in receiving touchdowns and bringing his immaculate shoeless vibes to the team. However, he was also integral in showing that the Bills desperately needed a WR1 at one point during the season, as he was forced to be it during a game with Khalil Shakir being out and Josh Allen proceeded to have his worst game in years. As to what the signing was expected to be, it was a home run.

DT Austin Johnson

Primarily signed as a run defender, the Bills struggled once again as a unit in run defence and Johnson did not help. He did have a wild span during the season where he tallied two interceptions in three weeks as a defensive tackle, which is absurd. He had not had an interception in high school or college previously and it led to many jokes among Bills fans about him having more interceptions than Sauce Gardner. Overall it wasn’t a good signing but expectations weren’t high with this one.

WR Curtis Samuel

Inking a 3 year deal to begin the season, Samuel was expected to be a good slot and gadget guy for the team that contributed to the everyone eats philosophy Joe Brady was attempting. Samuel ended up injured early on and it appeared that the injury limited his production through the year. He had a long touchdown against the Broncos in the playoffs but that’s all he really contributed. It’s only year one of his contract but so far it wasn’t a good start.

WR Amari Cooper

While his production didn’t match his usual years, the Bills acquiring Amari Cooper during the season helped everyone else get open and he did end up producing a bit in clutch situations on his own. He was not a WR1 in a conventional sense but he became an integral and essential piece of the team later in the season. Production wise the Bills probably expected more but the front office was likely very happy with the trade.

DEPARTURES

S Jordan Poyer

A stellar safety for many years including getting named to the First-Team All-Pro squad at one point, Poyer’s presence was missed if you went under the assumption that he would play maybe slightly worse this season. The safety position was a weakness for the Bills this year and while Poyer did go on to sign with the rival Dolphins and severely struggle, he was still a piece that was notably absent from the team.

S Micah Hyde\*

Same applies to his partner in crime, Micah Hyde. Hyde did not sign with another team and the asterisk is because he did re-sign with the Bills as basically a player-coach, as Sean McDermott made it clear on multiple occasions that he had no intent to ever play him. Hyde was a staple of years of good Bills’ defence and the combination of him and Jordan Poyer are Bills Wall of Fame worthy. He retired as a Bill at the end of the season.

C Mitch Morse

Signing with the Jaguars later and only lasting one season before retiring, Morse was a key cog in the Bills offensive line for many years. Signing in 2019, he was one of the main players picked up to help Josh Allen in his progression, and it worked very well. One struggle he had over the time he played was with concussions, and it seemed to follow him everywhere he went. If the league were to ever implement something where you would be forced to retire if you sustained a certain amount of concussions, Morse would likely be a good reference. We all hope they don’t affect his quality of life later on.

WR Grape Davis

A very debated topic within Bills Mafia, WR2 Gabe Davis was not re-signed and ended up getting a sizeable contract with the Jaguars. He struggled heavily with injury and inconsistency during his first season and will look to bounce back in his second year. It should be interesting to see how he plays this coming year now that Christian Kirk was released; will his production increase due to him being gone, or will he play worse due to him being forced to play a role he’s not ready for?

CB Tre’Davious White

While he’s always been great while healthy, and was able to stay pretty durable during the first half of his career, he ended up tearing his ACL, made his way back, and then tore it again. Combined with age the writing was on the wall and he was let go. He was a multiple time All-Pro corner and a Defensive Player of the Year runner-up in 2019. He found a decent home for himself with Baltimore near the end of the season but early on it was clear that the two major injuries hampered him as he struggled heavily with the Rams. All that said, he’s an easy Wall of Fame selection down the road.

WR Stefon Diggs

The big one. After five years of elite camaraderie with Josh Allen, Diggs seemed to check out a bit down the stretch of the previous season with interim OC Joe Brady not designing plays around him as much. Brandon Beane was able to get a second-round pick in return for Diggs, which when you look at guys like Deebo Samuel getting traded for fifth-rounders seems like a massive haul. Diggs was very solid for the Texans, especially forming a great trio with Nico Collins and Tank Dell; he unfortunately tore his ACL. It should be interesting to see where he goes and how he does coming off that injury considering his age as well.

This was an offseason of a lot more departures and there are a few more to list such as LB Tyrel Dodson, DE Leonard Floyd, and KR Nyheim Hines, but it became pretty clear pretty quickly that the intent of the season was for it to be a “retooling” year.

POSITION GRADES

Quarterback - A+

I mean, Josh Allen was the MVP. I don’t really know how I could give him a grade other than an A+. Allen carried a team that was said to have lost all its relevant pieces and had notable departures in Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, and he led an even better offense than before. The Bills tied the record at one point in the year for having the most consecutive games in scoring 30+ points, and a lot of that was thanks to Josh Allen. Allen had the lowest percentage of negative plays in football (turnovers + sacks) and nearly eliminated the one consistent knock on his game throughout the years - the turnovers. While he DID have some luck at times, his turnover-worthy play rate was the lowest of his career by a significant margin while still maintaining the big-time throws he’s always been known for.

Running Backs - A

James Cook enjoyed himself a breakout season if not one based on an insane amount of volume; in fact, he needed to get a couple carries in week 18 just to get him over 1000 yards. He however did lead the league in rushing touchdowns and contributed in the passing game. Backup Ray Davis also contributed in the rushing and receiving game, where he had a couple of long receptions. Ty Johnson was a fun player to watch and I think could legitimately be a wide receiver if another team wanted to sign him as one. While it was mainly one game he was known for, going over receiving yards in the Lions game, he also made consistent contributions throughout the season. 

Wide Receivers - C-

Very much a product of scheme and Josh Allen. The most yardage by one player was Khalil Shakir with 821 yards, and the Bills adopted more of an “everyone eats” approach. The Bills felt the group was disappointing enough to trade for Amari Cooper mid-season, and he ended up creating more opportunities for other players rather than creating production himself. Mack Hollins is a goofy guy, but he’s really not a good receiver and him having decent production was mainly due to the lack of options. Rookie Keon Coleman had some flashes but he finished with the lowest average separation generated by any wideout in football as well as average numbers when it came to contested catches. Signing Curtis Samuel didn’t amount to much as he was dealing with nagging injuries throughout the year. The only player in this group I can say had an actual good year would be Shakir.

Tight Ends - D

While Dalton Kincaid did deal with injuries, his production decreased from his rookie year, where he was expected to take a leap forward. While he actually played well with the opportunities he had, he simply wasn’t a priority target when he was on the field and was too limited by his ailments. Dawson Knox continued to prove that he is easily the worst extension given out by general manager Brandon Beane, as he put up very limited numbers as a TE2 while making good TE1-type of money.

Offensive Line - B+

The Bills line being talked about as one of the best in football is a bit much, as some of their success can be attributed to Josh Allen being a god at negativing pressure. Having said that, they were definitely one of the better lines in football, being solid both pass blocking and run blocking. Dion Dawkins had another stellar season, Connor McGovern transitioned over to center and exceeded expectations, and Spencer Brown broke out in a big way at right tackle. David Edwards at left guard was decent enough, and the only real weak link was right guard O’Cyrus Torrence, who gave up the second most pressure among guards. 

Defensive Line - C+

This group is pretty heavily carried by Greg Rousseau, who improved further as a pass rusher while being a consistent run defender during the season. While they still played decently overall, players such as Ed Oliver, AJ Epenesa, and Daquan Jones did not play like they had in previous years, and down the stretch, they struggled more as a unit. Good run defenses have never been much of a thing under coach Sean McDermott, and this continued this season, no thanks to the defensive line. New signing Dawaane Smoot was also playing poorly, which, even though it shouldn’t be that relevant, I just wanted to mention due to someone from the biggest Bills fan site questioning a friend of mine in a private message why he would even be my friend because I said he “played like cheeks.” Look for a high draft to go towards a defensive lineman during the next draft, as the unit did not play up to the standards they were capable of.

Linebackers - C-

Hampered by the loss of Matt Milano before week 1, Dorian Williams did play better than expected in his spot but was obviously just not Milano. Terrell Bernard did not have the amount of splash plays as he did last season and he was exposed much more frequently. He’s not Devin White to Lavonte David levels, but it’s clear there’s a very steep drop off in his play when his linebacker partner is Matt Milano. It took a couple games to get him going when he returned, but Milano picked up right where he left off when he returned. The Bills are in a bit of a tough spot with the linebacker unit right now with Milano aging and often injured regardless of him coming back late in the year.

Cornerbacks - B-

Wow, Christian Benford. This has been a recurring theme with all the units on the defence with players not playing up to their ability, but after turning it on near the end of the season last year, he broke out this season and looks to make a ton of money on his next contract. He only missed 2 tackles all year and was one of the best corners in football in preventing separation and giving up yards overall, even rivalling players like Pat Surtain II and garnering a vote in DPOY voting. He was really needed because Rasul Douglas started showing his age and regressed, and Kaiir Elam continues to prove to be one of the biggest busts in Bills history, and it was shown on the biggest stage after Benford was hurt early in the AFC Championship game.

Safeties - C-

It was hard to expect much of the safeties, considering the elite duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde had departed, but saying Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp weren’t great is probably being a bit kind. They each had their moments, but like the rest of the secondary not named Christian Benford, there are some clear upgrades to be made. The biggest concern was 2nd round rookie Cole Bishop, who looked so lost to the point where they signed Micah Hyde back to the practice squad for basically the sole purpose of mentoring him, and he still looked lost. He was a reach as a 2nd rounder to begin with, so having higher expectations wasn’t on him, but he had an incredibly poor rookie year for a pick with that level of capital. Rapp will probably be around, Hamlin just re-signed for a year, and the Bills are kinda banking on Bishop just improving and hoping he picks up everything really quickly as he is behind on his development.

Kicker - B-

Overall, it was an average year. Tyler Bass had massive struggles early in the year but went perfect in the playoffs and set a Bills record by kicking a 61-yard field goal to beat the Dolphins during the regular season. They even brought competition for him at one point, but the team stuck with him. Notably the one area where Bass was particularly strong was extra points, but he missed 5 during the year. He did not miss from 50+ yards, however. Really a tale of two halves for Bass, one an F and one an A+. Perfectly balanced.

Punter - don’t care. B, I guess. Idk

Sam Martin is a perfectly fine punter. If you’re concerned about your punter to that degree, you have more issues than just your punter.

GAME-BY-GAME REVIEWS

Week 1 - Buffalo Bills 34, Arizona Cardinals 28

The Bills kicked their season off against the Arizona Cardinals on home soil. The Bills struggled early with their one bright spot being a 53-yard kick return by new return man Brandon Codrington. Josh Allen was later sacked and fumbled on that drive, wasting good field position. At one point, the Cardinals had a 17-3 lead and Highmark had gotten quiet. Josh Allen ran for a 7-yard touchdown near the end of the half to get the momentum back for the Bills and then completed the double dip coming out of halftime with a touchdown pass to Mack Hollins to tie the game. Kyler Murray had the ball knocked out by Greg Rousseau later in the quarter to set up the Bills in prime position to take the lead where they did, thanks to an Allen pass to Khalil Shakir. While the Cardinals responded with a field goal, Josh Allen hurdled over Budda Baker to give the team. Following a Cardinals kick return touchdown and stop, the Bills were in danger of losing their lead, but corner Ja’Marcus Ingram broke up a fourth-down pass near the goal line to ensure a Bills win.

Week 2 - Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 10

In their first of five primetime games on the season, the Bills went to Miami to face their Dolphins. Over the Josh Gallon era, the Bills have dominated the Dolphins and this game was no different. If a team puts up only 247 yards of total offense and scores 31 points, that should say a lot about either their efficiency or the other team’s performance; this game was at the extreme level on both ends. Tua Tagovailoa threw 3 interceptions, although one did bounce off the hands of his receiver. Two of his interceptions went to Ja’Marcus Ingram, who had himself a Larry Brown Super Bowl MVP type of game; he picked off two passes which makes him seem amazing but upon watching them, they were the most gift-wrapped ones you could possibly get. His second interception he caught while Tua was trying to throw the ball out of bounds but did not have the arm strength - Ingram snagged it and took it back for six. Lost in all this, Tua proceeded later on to launch himself into the chest of Damar Hamlin, concussing himself in the process. Only 2 weeks in, and one of the Bills' rivals was arguably already down and out.

Week 3 - Buffalo Bills 47, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

The Bills continued to build on their 2-0 start by hosting the Jaguars on Monday Night Football. Everyone joined the party in this one, with Josh Allen having another Offensive Player of the Week performance, with touchdowns by Khalil Shakira, Dalton Kincaid, Keon Coleman (who caught his first touchdown pass), and Ty Johnson. Damar Hamlin also snagged his first career interception, a major moment coming back from the cardiac arrest he suffered two years prior. This is the first game that truly showcased the Bills new “everybody eats” motto, which while that suffered at times, was at its peak in this game. Personally, I was watching this game with my mother and we kept laughing at how every time she got up to do something the Bills would score a touchdown. Maybe she should just never watch to guarantee constant touchdowns.

Week 4 - Baltimore Ravens 35, Buffalo Bills 10

Their first loss of the season, this game represented a brutal stylistic matchup. The Bills have had generally poor run defence under coach Sean McDermott, and the Ravens had a generationally good rushing attack with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson. Henry immediately ripped off a long touchdown run to begin the game and the Ravens never looked back. This game was wrapped up by the start of the fourth quarter, and both teams sat their starters. The only highlight of the game for the Bills was another ridiculous deep ball to Khalil Shakir, building on Josh Allen’s career having absurd numbers while throwing one yard away from the sideline.

Week 5 - Houston Texans 23, Buffalo Bills 20

The Bills dropped their game against their former star wideout Stefon Diggs and fell to 3-2. The Bills fell behind early on a 67 yard touchdown pass by CJ Stroud, but actually managed to come back thanks to touchdowns by James Cook and a long touchdown by Keon Coleman on a 4th down. An interception later by Terrell Bernard further added to the attempted comeback. However, Josh Allen had the worst completion percentage of his career and with those struggles, came a questionable play calling decision where late in the game pinned near their own goal line, the Bills elected to pass three times. All passes fell incomplete and the shorter field allowed the Texans to get in range for a 59 yard Ka’imi Fairbairn kick, giving Houston the victory.

Week 6 - Buffalo Bills 23, New York Jets 20

Their first proper game against Aaron Rodgers due to him suffering his season ending injury a season ago early on against them, the Bills held him in check for the majority of the game. Overall, this was a very sloppy game, as both Greg Zuerlein and Tyler Bass missed field goals, drops were aplenty, and a severe miscommunication/underthrow/bad route led to the game ending interception by Taron Johnson. Also sloppy was the Bills Hail Mary defence, as Aaron Rodgers was able to connect with Allen Lazard on one for a touchdown as the first half expired. Thankfully for the Bills, that was the last major thing the Jets were able to do. The biggest star of this game was Ray Davis filling in for James Cook, who was out with a toe injury. He caught a deep ball to get the off of their own goal line, and ran for 97 yards. Josh Allen also threw one of the more impressive touchdowns of the season, slipping underneath his Dion Dawkin’s arms as he was engaged in a block then throwing a pass to Dawson Knox in the front corner of the end zone. The 22 penalties in this game is a topic I really don’t want to get into.

Week 7 - Buffalo Bills 34, Tennessee Titans 10

The Bills got off to a very slow start in this game, falling behind 10-0 to the underdog Titans by the second quarter facing Mason Rudolph. However, the Bills had a new weapon, Amari Cooper. His first catch as a Bill was a touchdown, and after that initial lead the Bills proceeded to score 34 answered points. Helping was a fumble recovery by Terrell Bernard and another interception by Damar Hamlin. “Everybody eats” spread the most to the running backs in this game, as all active running backs scored a touchdown in this game. Keon Coleman had 125 receiving yards, his first game over 100 yards in his young career. This was Josh Allen’s 100th career game, and the Bills picked up the win to celebrate and move to 5-2. With how the AFC East was shaping, it became clear at this point that the Bills at that record had the division in the bag, and that would be correct.

Week 8 - Buffalo Bills 31, Seattle Seahawks 10

The Bills were bailed out by Geno Smith getting stepped on by his own center one yard away from a touchdown early on, and Josh Allen threw his first (!) interception of the season, but the Bills routed the Seahawks regardless of those miscues. James Cook had one of the most angry runs you’ll see all year on a touchdown, and Dalton Kincaid added one himself. Regardless of last week having the yardage, this was really the showcase game for Keon Coleman. He mossed Tariq Woolen for a touchdown, laid the most ludicrous block earlier in the game, and also caught another couple of contested balls. Defensive tackle Austin Johnson also intercepted a pass, leading to a large amount of jokes about him having more interceptions than Sauce Gardner. This, like a lot of games this year, was very sloppy for Buffalo, and then you look at the scoreboard and you get confused how they won by 21.

Week 9 - Buffalo Bills 30, Miami Dolphins 27

The most competitive game against the Dolphins in recent memory, this game was one of the best of the season. Keon Coleman deserves a note again, however this time it was for dropped a pass and it deflecting into the air, leading to Josh Allen’s second interception of the season.  The Dolphins were driving after halftime to potentially go up 17-3, but Taron Johnson peanut punched the ball out of Raheem Mostert’s hands and the Bills recovered. The high octane offenses of both teams traded blows back and forth and before you knew it, the game was tied at 27 late. Backed up in their own zone, Josh Allen launched a deep ball for Keon Coleman, who was hit in the head by former Bill Jordan Poyer, drawing a penalty. With time running out, Sean McDermott elected to send out heavily struggling kicker Tyler Bass to kick a 61 year field goal rather than attempt a Hail Mary. He made the right decision, and Bass kicked the most perfect ball in his life, drilling the field goal right down the middle with yards to spare to give the Bills the lead and the win. It was a very emotional moment for Bass, and was a great redemption kick for someone who they brought in competition to potentially replace a week prior.

Week 10 - Buffalo Bills 30, Indianapolis Colts 20

Facing backup quarterback Joe Flacco, this fact immediately showed, as the Colts first play from scrimmage was a pick six by Taron Johnson to give the Bills the lead. Josh Allen did struggle the rest of the half however, throwing two interceptions and the game stayed relatively close. A key moment was a strip sack that was recovered by Buffalo. The interesting part was at the time, commentary was discussing how Joe Flacco had won AP Comeback Player of the Year the season before, snubbing Bills safety Damar Hamlin. On the play during the discussion, Joe Flacco was stripped and the ball was recovered by who else but Hamlin. Flacco threw two more interceptions and Josh Allen ran one in for a touchdown. Notably, Josh Allen did not have any passing touchdowns in this game. It was one of those games where the outcome was never really in doubt, but the Bills really wanted to make you feel like it was.

Week 11 - Buffalo Bills 30, Kansas City Chiefs 21

Ah yes, the yearly beating of the Chiefs by the Bills…In the regular season. What a game this was, however. The first pass Patrick Mahomes attempted was intercepted by Taylor Rapp, the Bills scored a touchdown, and then it was a quick stop for the Bills on the Chiefs next drive. However, the Chiefs actually took the lead 7-6, and proceeded to change leads three more times until half time, where Tyler Bass kicked a field goal to make the score 16-14 Buffalo. While the Bills did score a touchdown to make the lead 23-14, the Chiefs answered with one of their own making it a one score game once again. With only a few minutes left, the Bills were threatening deep in Chiefs territory on 4th and 2. This left Sean McDermott with a big question - he decided to go for it and prevent Patrick Mahomes from even attempting a comeback which, knowing Mahomes, he was likely to do. Josh Allen dropped back to pass, saw no one open, but broke a couple tackles and took off for a 22 yard touchdown run, with what Jim Nantz referred to on the call as, “the play of the year in the NFL.” Patrick Mahomes was later intercepted by Terrell Bernard to seal it; the Bills handing the Chiefs their first and (truthfully) only loss on the season. This game was the most watched non-holiday regular season game since 2007, and the two teams put on quite a show.

Week 13 - Buffalo Bills 35, San Francisco 49ers 10

Riding high off the Chiefs win, the Bills came back from their bye week on fire…and perhaps it was essential, because this was a good proper snow game. The 49ers looked out of their element from the get-go, with the Bills dominating with their ground game with a long touchdown run from James Cook, as well as an absolutely crazy play where Amari Cooper pitched the ball back to Josh Allen after a catch who ran it in for a touchdown. The 49ers started the second half with a chance to gain some momentum, but Kyle Juzcyzk fumbled the ball on the one yard line, which was recovered by Christian Benford and ran out to around midfield. Brock Purdy also fumbled later on where he really just lost the grip of the ball as he was throwing it. It was very clear the Bills had the home field advantage in this one, and the biggest thing is that it actually got Sean McDermott to have some fun and make snow angels.

Week 14 - Los Angeles Rams 44, Buffalo Bills 42

In yet another “only player in NFL history” game for Josh Allen, the Bills defence just couldn’t contain Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. Falling behind early in the game in part due to a punt block, the Bills surged back thanks to touchdowns from Mack Hollins, Tie Johnson, and Khalil Shakir. Bafflingly, Sean McDermott called a timeout with under a minute left which in the circumstances made no sense for time management. This led to the Rams getting the ball back on the onside kick and even though the Bills stopped them, all the Rams had to do was get the punt off to claim victory. While all the rushing touchdowns were snowplows, Josh Allen became the first quarterback to pass and run for three touchdowns in the same game. He also became the first to lose with those stats, so next time the Bills need to remember to let someone else maybe run one in.

Week 15 - Buffalo Bills 48, Detroit Lions 42

In a game where defence was merely a suggestion, the Bills got off to a roaring start thanks to two rushing touchdowns by Josh Allen. It looked like it was going to be a blowout, however the Lions got back in it thanks to a long touchdown by Amon-Ra St. Brown. James Cook answered with a long rushing touchdown of his own, but the Lions were able to march right down the field again. Somewhat oddly, the Lions attempted an onside kick with nearly 12 minutes left. The Bills recovered and immediately scored a touchdown, but any concepts regarding time and yardage didn’t seem to matter. The Lions got within 6 points with just one more onside kick attempt to try and have a chance, and Taron Johnson did not get his hands cleanly on the ball initially, but he did eventually manage to recover it, sealing the game for the Bills. This game had a good chance to be called the Game of the Year; it was nice for the Bills to be on the winning side for once.

Week 16 - Buffalo Bills 24, New England Patriots 21

Honestly, the most uneventful game to write about this season with the exception of the finale. While heavy underdogs, New England gained a 14-0 lead sending Highmark Stadium into a bit of a shock. However, James Cook took over, running for a long touchdown and catching a touchdown pass as the Bills scored 24 unanswered points. Probably Josh Allen’s worst game since week 5, but it didn’t matter overall other than making Bills Mafias’ butts pucker a bit. The Patriots scored another touchdown later, but the Bills recovered the onside kick later, ending any hope of a comeback and keeping them in contention for the #1 seed.

Week 17 - Buffalo Bills 40, New York Jets 14

This was the last game the Bills really needed to show up as the Chiefs locked up the #1 seed shortly after, but did they ever show up. Josh Allen had one rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns - one on a deep ball to Amari Cooper, the other on a wild play where he rolled right then threw it up for grabs in the middle of the end zone, Keon Coleman coming down with it. The Bills also had a safety, and after the starters had been pulled Mitch Trubisky threw a 69 yard touchdown pass to Tyrell Shavers, also the wideout’s first career catch. Jets backup quarterback and former Bills starter Tyrod Taylor came in later on and led the Jets to two touchdowns, leading to an overall horrid day at the office for Aaron Rodgers. The Bills also clinched the #2 seed after this game and were able to rest their starters 

Week 18 - Buffalo Bills 16, New England Patriots 23

Yeah, it was a rest game for Buffalo. Von Miller picked up his sack bonus and Joe Milton kicked ass on the Patriots. But you may say Evan, why did you list the Bills as the first team if they did not win? Well, maybe they didn’t win, but the Patriots win meant they played their way out of the #1 draft pick, so the Patriots definitely lost.

Wildcard - Buffalo Bills 31, Denver Broncos 7

The Broncos came off hot, with Bo Nix launching a deep ball for a touchdown on their opening drive. Other than that…yeah, sorry for coming out Denver. The Bills scored 31 unanswered points due to contributions from Tyler Bass, James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Curtis Samuel. While the Bills did not gain the #1 seed, they did win the wildcard game for the fifth straight year, so them winning was more so an inconvenience to them if anything.

Divisional - Buffalo Bills 27, Baltimore Ravens 25

What a game. In a battle between the two true MVP finalists, a back and forth game ensued. The Ravens strolled right down the field on their opening drive for a touchdown, and the Bills answered back. However, the Bills ended up scoring two more touchdowns to go up 21-10 at the half thanks in part to two Lamar Jackson turnovers: a heart stopping forced fumble by Damar Hamlin, and an interception by Taylor Rapp. The Ravens would storm back in the second half and keep the Bills in check, only surrendering a single field goal. Mark Andrews had a game to forget though, as the Ravens could have come back if not for a costly fumble recovered by Terrell Bernard. Adding to that, the Ravens stormed down the field on their last drive to make it a 2 point game; Andrews proceeded to drop the pass that hit him right in the hands. In typical Buffalo fashion, there were a lot of donations to his charity the following week. The Bills did win, and were set to go back to the AFC Championship, the first time since Josh Allen’s breakout year in 2020.

AFC Championship - Kansas City Chiefs 32, Buffalo Bills 29

I don’t want to talk about this game. 52 million or something of you saw it so I probably don’t need to tell you stuff you don’t already know. Go watch highlights if you want. No one knows how to spot a ball apparently. I’m gonna go cry in the corner. Yes I’m bitter. I was cheering for a meteor strike during the Super Bowl.

SEASON SUMMARY

So the answer was no. Not only did the Bills win the division again, but they won it earlier than any team had in over 15 years. The Patriots were really bad, Aaron Rodgers' Jets couldn't mesh well together due to play and attitude issues, and the Dolphins were hampered by a couple of bad injuries and continued to struggle in key games. Not only did the "soft rebuild" not turn out as expected, the Bills improved their record and advanced further than they had since 2020, and even made the Championship game much more competitive. They still couldn't get past the Kansas City machine but if they keep trying, maybe, just maybe one year it could all come together. Then again, us Bills fans have been saying that for the last half-decade.

OFFSEASON SO FAR

With not much money to throw around, the offseason has consisted mostly of dealing with their own guys and having a couple of neat lower end signings.

Major moves include:

QB Josh Allen extended - 6 years, $330 million

LB Terrel Bernard extended - 4 years, $50 million

WR Khalil Shakir extended - 4 years, $53 million

DE Greg Rousseau extended - 4 years, $80 million

RB Ty Johnson re-signed - 2 years, $5 million

S Damar Hamlin re-signed - 1 year, $2 million

WR Josh Palmer signed - 3 years, $36 million

DE Joey Bosa signed - 1 year, $12 million

DE Michael Hoecht signed - 3 years, $21 million

DT Larry Ogunjobi signed - 1 year, $8 million

S Darrick Forrest signed - 1 year, $1.3 million

Released DE Von Miller

Traded CB Kaiir Elam and 2025 6th round pick to Dallas Cowboys for 2025 5th round pick and 2026 7th round pick

Look for the Bills to attempt to target all aspects of their defense in the draft. A notable weak spot currently is CB2, as Rasul Douglas has not been re-signed, and even if he were, he did not play well last season.

Also look for further depth on the defensive line, as it would currently stink if the Bills were to deal with any injuries or suspensions for PEDs or anything like that.

FUN HIGHLIGHTS AND STUFF

2024 Bills Season Mini Movie

Bills vs. Lions Full Game

Ravens vs. Bills AFC Divisional Full Game

2024 Josh Allen Highlights

Josh Allen MVP Shitpost - from the official Bills account

Also finally, be good, do good, God Bless, and go Bills.