Bills' Devin Singletary vs. Steelers: Can Pittsburgh 'Catch' Buffalo RB?

The Buffalo Bills offense continues to be the envy of the NFL in 2022, thanks in large part to the dual threat capabilities of quarterback Josh Allen.

The 26-year-old is near the top of the league in most passing categories, having compiled 1227 yards, 10 touchdowns and a NFL-leading 113 completions. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs ranks second among all wideouts with 406 yards and leads his position with 4 touchdowns.

Still, for as much proficiency as their passing offense has shown, Buffalo’s running game has not been a worthy complement to their aerial attack.

Outside of the 30 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns from Allen, the Bills’ running backs have contributed a mere 271 combined yards and zero touchdowns through four games. When considering that the majority of Buffalo’s rushing statistics come from Allen’s scrambles, as opposed to design runs, the difference in production between the two becomes quite staggering.

While the Bills would undoubtedly wish to shed the distinction of being the only Buffalo team without a rushing touchdown by a running back, they have turned to an old familiar formula to get production from their feature back Devin Singletary. The 25-year-old has gained 129 yards on the ground on 34 carries. However, he has been most effective when catching the ball out of the backfield. Singletary has 17 catches for 141 yards and one touchdown.

Taking a page from the book of his predecessor Brian Daboll, Bills’ offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey has opted to utilize Singletary in the backfield passing game in second/third-and-short situations. As a result, he is tied with Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler as the only running backs with nine first-down catches. Singletary, however, has done so with 10 fewer receptions. Considering his career-high is 14 (which he set in 2021), he is on pace to eclipse that total by a wide margin.

With Singletary’s ability to force missed tackles as a receiver, the Bills will continue to utilize the Florida Atlantic product as a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield. As they prepare to welcome the Pittsburgh Steelers to Highmark Stadium on Sunday, Buffalo may rest assured that their top runner can play a key role in their offensive success, whether traveling by land, or air.

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