Bills Cracking Under Pressure? Ranking Teams Facing Most Urgency
The 2023 NFL season draws closer with each passing day, and it's shaping up to be a crucial one for the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills have been one of the NFL's top teams for a while now, but haven't been able to get over the hump in the playoffs. After making the AFC Championship Game in 2020, Buffalo has lost in the Divisional Round in each of the following two seasons. After so much postseason heartbreak, Bills fans are getting antsy for more success.
It's not a stretch to say that the Bills are one of the teams facing the most pressure for the upcoming season. In an NFL.com list of teams facing the highest burden of expectations, Buffalo came in at No. 1 with a perfect 10 on the "urgency meter."
"The Bills have been knocking on the door for a while now," NFL.com writes. "Four straight trips to the playoffs, each run ending short of the Super Bowl. The "13 Seconds" loss to the Chiefs in the 2021 Divisional Round was pure pain for a franchise that's no stranger to heartbreak, but last postseason's home thumping at the hands of the Bengals was somehow more dispiriting. Is Buffalo's once wide-open Super Bowl window suddenly closing? Playing in a widely improved AFC East, there's a huge amount of urgency facing the entire Buffalo operation entering 2023. Look no further than the recent drama around star receiver Stefon Diggs as an example of potential cracks in the structure. Pressure can do that to even the most solid of foundations."
The Bills obviously fancy themselves as Super Bowl contenders, and for good reason. However, they must strike while the iron is hot. With an increasingly-difficult salary cap situation and some defensive stars such as edge rusher Von Miller and safety Jordan Poyer getting up there in age, remaining a contender will only get tougher.
The Bills aren't alone on facing the pressure this season, as all three of their division rivals crack the top 10 as well. The New York Jets come in just behind the Bills at No. 2, with an urgency rating of 9.8. The Miami Dolphins are at No. 6 with an 8.7 urgency rating, while the New England Patriots come in at No. 9 with an 8.0 rating.
Pressure is clearly at an all-time high in Buffalo. Now, we'll see how well the Bills respond to it.
You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter at @JonAlfano_News
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