Bills Central

NFL analyst says Bills’ offensive philosophy shift could lead to a Super Bowl win

Colin Cowherd feels as though the Buffalo Bills' offensive diversification could be what the team needs to push it over the hump.

Kyle Silagyi

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Much local and national discourse has been had regarding the Buffalo Bills’ offseason maneuvers, as it’d perhaps be an understatement to say that the team did some spring cleaning. Buffalo parted ways with stalwarts across its entire roster, particularly in the receiving corps where it allowed key complementary weapon Gabriel Davis to depart as a free agent before trading perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. The team adopted an ‘everyone eats’ offensive philosophy in the wake of the departures, constructing a deep weapons group of versatile weapons to whom quarterback Josh Allen can evenly disperse the ball as opposed to funneling the aerial attack through one or two targets.

And the new strategy has been fruitful through the first two weeks of the 2024 season, as the team’s offense has taken advantage of its opportunities as the Bills have constructed a 2-0 record. Allen targeted 10 weapons in Buffalo’s Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, connecting with nine of them; he targeted nine players in Week 2, a 31-10 victory over the Miami Dolphins in which the quarterback connected with six different targets.

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The team’s offense looks more diverse and multi-faceted than it has in years past. An issue that’s loomed over Orchard Park in recent years has been a lack of weapons outside of and, thus, overreliance on Diggs; with a burgeoning young running back in James Cook, two solid tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, and a deep receiving corps that boasts a bevy of skillsets, it now looks as though Buffalo is a team that can find offensive success through various means and beat opposition in several different ways. Fox Sports host Colin Cowherd has taken notice of this; during a recent episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, the long-time sports media personality praised the team’s offensive performance in their Week 2 win in South Beach, suggesting that the Bills' recently adopted ‘everyone eats’ philosophy and general offensive diversification could lead it to glory.

“If the NFL had [usage rate], Josh Allen would lead the league in usage rate,” Cowherd said. “Last year, I think 58 touchdowns the Bills had, he was part of 51. That’s not the way you want it. [Thursday] night, Buffalo had four touchdowns, Josh Allen was part of one of the four. That’s what you want . . . I think Buffalo is getting really close, and I think [Thursday] night was an example. This is what I keep asking with Buffalo; I didn’t have them in my top 10 to start the season. Let me watch them. But [Thursday] night was impressive. The downfall of the Patriots at the end, they were too reliant on [Tom] Brady. But the Bills now have a really good running back. Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator, he and Allen work. They have depth at wide receiver. Two strong, above-average tight ends. They looked efficient, not a lot of penalties. Offensive line dominated, zero sacks allowed. It was, now Miami’s not one of the better defenses in the league, but they’re not terrible. 

“I look at this [Thursday] night and I think, is this a pivot? Sean McDermott deserves some credit. Last couple of years, they’re drafting offensive guys in the first couple of rounds, first couple of picks. It’s tight ends, it’s wide receivers, it’s running backs. They’re trying to get him help, they’re not being stubborn. Sean McDermott and the Bills are listening. They’re not being stubborn here . . . I watch [Thursday] night, Buffalo now feels more complete. They don’t have any drama at wide receiver, offensive line was excellent, a really nice running back, tight ends, wide receiver depth. Four touchdowns, Josh Allen only connected to one. I think that’s the Buffalo Bills that can win a Super Bowl. I didn’t know, I watched the Arizona game and my takeaway was, let’s put the Superman cape away. [Thursday] night, they did.”

James Cook
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Cowherd notes the fact that Allen contributed to only one of Buffalo’s four touchdowns in Week 2, which is accurate; James Cook was responsible for all three offensive scores, reeling in one touchdown through the air and reaching paydirt twice on the ground (the Bills’ other touchdown was a Ja’Marcus Ingram pick-six). Thursday night was a statement performance for the third-year ballcarrier after his breakout sophomore campaign, as Cook now has 198 scrimmage yards through two games.

Cook is just one of several weapons that offensive coordinator Joe Brady can use in a myriad of ways, as through two games, we’ve seen the play-caller enact interesting schematic wrinkles with players like Cook, Curtis Samuel, and Dalton Kincaid. The presence of a robust weapons corps combined with a creative offensive mind should, in theory, take some of the load off Josh Allen and place him in positions to succeed; this could be just what the team needs to push it over the proverbial hump.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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