This chart proves Bills’ ‘everyone eats’ offense is working
Some football fans have the misconception that every offense needs to have a superstar at one or several skill positions in order to be successful. The Buffalo Bills once had an alpha at wide receiver in Stefon Diggs, but they moved on from him in the offseason, opting to take a more egalitarian approach to aerial production. Some questioned whether or not the strategy would prove feasible, but through one game, the 'everyone eats' offensive approach is paying dividends.
Open Source Football’s Ben Baldwin shared a stat on X on Monday that shows how well the Bills’ offense moved the ball down the field in their Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, doing so more efficiently than most offenses in the NFL. Buffalo is ranked second in the NFL in offensive series results that turned into a new set of downs. The breakdown of numbers includes 14% of drives resulting in touchdowns, 68% of them had first downs, 7% of them ended in field goals, 7% ended in punts, and 4% ended in a turnover. Only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a higher rate thanks to the team not turning the ball over.
The Bills picked up a 34-28 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, picking up 23 first downs as they produced 6.1 yards per play and converted both of its fourth down tries. Outside of the Josh Allen fumble on the first offensive drive, the Bills only called on punter Sam Martin twice to punt the ball.
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To show how well the passing game was going for the Bills, nine players made at least one reception. Rookie receiver Keon Coleman was the leading receiver with four receptions for 51 yards.
Even the Buffalo running game saw four different players record at least one carry with three at running back. James Cook made his presence known by rushing 19 times for 71 yards. Allen rushed in for two scores to add to his two passing touchdowns in the game.
There were concerns in the offseason that Buffalo's offense would not look as good with wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis gone. One-game sample sizes are often misleading, but through Week 1, it looks as though the offense is going to be just fine with Allen carrying the load.
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