Buffalo Bills At the Bye: Gabe Davis & 3 Key Difference-Makers

Heading into their Week 7 bye, the Buffalo Bills have compiled the best record in the AFC behind strong performances from several key players.

Through the first six games of the 2022 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills sit atop the AFC with a 5-1 record. With a stout defense and a versatile, explosive offensive, Buffalo has become one of the most feared teams in the NFL.

After an MVP-caliber performance in 2021, quarterback Josh Allen is once again becoming an early favorite for the honor this season. Allen played some of the best football of his career in 2021. Throughout the regular season, the 25-year old threw for 1,980 yards with 17 touchdowns, against 4 interceptions. Allen has also rushed 47 times for 257 yards and two touchdowns. His dual threat capabilities in both the passing game and the run game make him a metaphorical nightmare for opposing defenses.

However, Buffalo is certainly not one-dimensional. Several key contributors have been instrumental in helping the Bills to ascend to the top of their division, as well as their conference. With their 24-20 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Bills continue to put the remainder of the league on notice.

As Buffalo heads into their Week 7 bye, here are three Bills which have paid dividends thus far.

Devin Singletary

Despite an uneven performance in 2021, Singletary has become quite the dual threat back for Buffalo. The 25-year-old has gained 256 yards on the ground on 57 carries. However, he has been most effective when catching the ball out of the backfield. Singletary has 22 catches for 167 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 has compiled 11 first-down catches. 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. Still, he cannot be discounted as a ground threat. Singletary carried the ball 17 times for 85 yards and caught four of five targets for 22 yards in Sunday's win over Kansas City. As his production continues to trend upward, Singletary’s role in the Bills’ offensive attack is likely to grow heading into Buffalo’s inevitable march to the playoffs.

Gabe Davis

In the interest of quelling any confusion, Stefon Diggs is Buffalo’s top wide receiver, leading the team in catches (49), receiving yards (656) and six touchdowns. However, Davis’ emergence as a true complementary threat has been key to the Bills’ proficiency in the passing game. Despite continuing to work through a right ankle injury (suffered in practice on the Friday prior to Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans), Davis must be accounted for each time he takes an offensive snap. The 23-year-old has compiled 383 yards on 14 catches with four touchdowns.

Against the Chiefs, Davis caught three of six targets for 74 yards and a 34-yard scoring strike down the sideline from Josh Allen. While he may not be targeted as frequently as Diggs, Davis maximizes his time on the field by making his presence felt. As such, the third-year wideout is currently on pace for over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns.

Von Miller

At the risk of sounding melodramatic, Miller is earning every penny of the six-year, $120 million contract he signed with the Bills in the offseason. Thus far, Miller has amassed six sacks (second in the NFL), eight tackles for loss (third in the NFL), and 26 pressures (fifth in the NFL). Considering the fact that Miller has played on only 60 percent of Buffalo’s offensive snaps, his numbers become even more impressive.

Still, the argument can be made that Miller truly made his bones with Bills Mafia with his performance on Sunday against the Chiefs. In last year’s Divisional Round playoff matchup, the Bills hit Kansas City’s quarterback Patrick Mahomes on just four of his 44 drop backs and sacked him twice in the game. That ultimately proved not enough as the All Pro quarterback threw a late fourth-quarter touchdown and the overtime strike to tight end Travis Kelce. Thus far, Miller has changed the complexity of the Bills’ defense, earning four total tackles, two sacks and one stuff. Miller has been unblockable through the first six weeks of the season. Should that continue, Buffalo’s defense will continue to intimidate each oft their remaining opponents left on their schedule. 

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