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Whether it’s the changes across the division all throughout this offseason, or the improvements the Buffalo Bills have made itself, the folks at Bleacher Report are Bill-eving.
With the 2020 NFL regular season slowly approaching, B/R predicted all eight division winners in the league next season based on the opinion of five of their analysts. In their guessing game, the Bills bring home the AFC East as four of the five predicted the Bills as the divisional winner:
Here’s part of B/R’s breakdown on the Bills:
The Patriots won’t necessarily be a bad team in 2020 with Cam Newton under center. But they aren’t the front-runners in the division. The Buffalo Bills are, and it’s been over 20 years since anyone said that.
The Bills aren’t dominant in any one facet of the game, but the team also doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses.
Josh Allen improved as a passer in his second season and got a big boost in the offseason when the team traded for wideout Stefon Diggs. Buffalo’s eighth-ranked rushing attack added a bruising young running back in this year’s draft in Utah’s Zack Moss. The Buffalo defense doesn’t have a ton of star power outside cornerback Tre’Davious White, but the team ranked third in yards allowed during 2019.
After a 17-year postseason drought, the Bills have earned a wild-card berth in two of the past three seasons under head coach Sean McDermott. But they haven’t won the division outright since all the way back in 1995.
That changes in 2020.
For the Bills, their 2020 outlook is very much… a mix. Facts are facts, without Brady in the fold for New England for the first time in two decades, the path to the AFC East title is a lot easier for everyone involved. But speaking of everyone, the Bills, Jets, Dolphins… and even the Patriots, Buffalo had the best offseason in 2020. Or at least on paper.
The Bills swung big, bringing in wide receiver Stefon Diggs, giving up a first-round pick to do so. In addition, the Bills have continued to keep their own. No one in the entire NFL returns more continuity than the Bills heading into next season, which is a key chemistry-wise. Since that study was released, the Bills did lose a few starters due to COVID-19 and injury. Defensive tackle Star Lotulelei opted out of playing next year, while offensive lineman Jon Feliciano suffered a chest injury which will sideline in for months.
However, Buffalo’s biggest obstacle to the AFC East crown still likely remains the Patriots. Of all teams in the NFL, no one has had more players opt out due to COVID-19 in recent weeks. The shorthanded get even weaker, so even if Bills quarterback Josh Allen just keeps the ship steady in Buffalo, the Bills have a great look at winning the division next season.
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