Banged-up tight end holds key that unlocks Bills' offense

Dalton Kincaid and the Bills tight ends wrecked the Bengals defense, but it's Kincaid that holds the key to the Bills offense.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Buffalo Bills' tight end Dalton Kincaid has played in nine of the team's13 games this season. In the four games he's missed, the Bills are 2-2. He's the key to the Bills' passing attack, and the numbers provide proof.

In three of the games that Kincaid did not play, the Bills totaled just 463 combined yards passing. The one outlier was the Bucs game, when the Bills rolled up over 300 yards through the air in a game where the they utilized their running backs more than they had in previous games.

Against the Bengals last time out, Kincaid had four receptions, 41 yards and one touchdown.

Kincaid key to Bills' offense

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid (86) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Kincaid is a matchup problem for most defenses, and he is the key to opening the Bills' passing attack. This season, more than his previous two, Kincaid is averaging a healthy 14.8 yards per reception, which indicates he's getting downfield more. This helps open things up underneath for the running backs, Khalil Shakir, and in some cases, tight ends Dawson Knox or rookie Jackson Hawes.

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With four games remaining, Kincaid has already established a new career high with five touchdowns, and with just 185 more yards, would surpass his best season in terms of yardage, which he set in his rookie season with 673 yards.

Kincaid's health a concern, should be Bills' priority

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid is all smiles after scoring a touchdown early in the first quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The problem has been Kincaid's health. During his rookie season, he played in 16 games. In the combined seasons of last year and this year, he has missed eight games due to injuries, leading some fans to label him injury-prone.

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Keeping Kincaid on the field for the stretch run and into the playoffs will be vital to the Bills' hopes of getting to a Super Bowl. If the Bills can count on him over the final two months of the season, he's a game-changer for the Bills' offense.

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