From the Other Side: Five Questions About the Bills
The Miami Dolphins home opener will be playing in front of a maximum crowd of 13,000 at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, and they'll be facing a Buffalo Bills team given a strong chance of ending the New England Patriots' 11-year run as AFC East champs.
The Bills, who have made the playoffs two of the past three seasons, got off to a strong start in 2020 as they jumped out to a 21-0 first-half lead on their way to a 27-17 victory against the New York Jets in their opener last Sunday.
To get a better feel for the upstart Bills, we checked in with Bills Digest Editor Mark Ludwiczak for his answers on these five key questions:
1. What stood out about the Bills in their Week 1 win against the Jets?
What stood out the most was that the Jets are terrible. It takes two to tango, however, and the Bills went out and beat a team that they absolutely should beat. Buffalo was in control right from the very start and Josh Allen was in command the entire time. The defense was suffocating and a big reason for all of New York's struggles. It was a good start, but it's hard to take away too much because the Jets really were that bad.
2. How much improved, if at all, do you expect QB Josh Allen to be in 2020?
He's progressively gotten better since entering the league and I expect him to take another step forward this season. He improved in every statistical category possible last year and I'll be surprised if those numbers don't keep going up. He's never going to complete 70 percent of his passes and he's still going to make a couple of throws that make you shake your head, but overall he's the clear catalyst on offense. He's proven to be a gamer and seems to excel when the pressure is on.
3. How big of a difference will WR Stefon Diggs make for the offense?
In Stefon Diggs, the Bills finally have a true No. 1 receiver on offense. He's arguably the team's best receiver since Eric Moulds in the late '90s. Buffalo already had two strong wideouts in John Brown and Cole Beasley, but Diggs is the piece that puts this receiver corps over the top. It will be important for Josh Allen to refine his deep accuracy and actually connect with Diggs on the deep ball, but Diggs should be a big weapon in Buffalo.
4. Who’s the most important player on the Bills defense, and why?
Tre White. White is one of the best cornerbacks in the league and is now paid as such after receiving a much-deserved contract extension. He's a tremendous talent both on and off the field and his dedication in the film room gives him an edge against most of his opponents. He also has top-end physical traits as a cover corner. If the Bills were to lose him for any period of time, they'd be in trouble — especially because they're also currently without Josh Norman, who has a hamstring injury. White is probably the best player on the entire roster regardless of position.
5. What kind of sense of confidence do you get from the Bills that they feel this is finally the year they topple the Pats?
They certainly believe it. Will they? It's far too early to know for sure, and it's going to take more wins over better opponents than the Jets. On paper, this is pretty clearly the most talented roster in the AFC East, but I think we all know by now never to count out Bill Belichick and the Patriots. This Bills team feels like it can make a run.
