Buffalo Bills urged to make this offensive change in playoffs

The Buffalo Bills have been urged to make one major offensive change entering the playoffs.
Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Highmark Stadium.
Oct 20, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) runs with the ball after making a catch against the Tennessee Titans during the second half at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills have officially locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoff picture. In the Week 18 season finale, it's widely expected that the Bills will sit most of their key players.

After locking up the No. 2 seed, there is nothing left for the Bills to play for in the regular season. Their focus will now shift to the upcoming playoff run that they hope takes them to a championship.

With that in mind, nothing about the regular season matters if a team doesn't win in the playoffs. Buffalo has been elite throughout the season thus far, but the real season is just about to begin.

Bleacher Report has urged the Bills to make one offensive change heading into their playoff run.

They believe that Buffalo needs to get star veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper more involved in the offense. Truthfully, they're not wrong.

"The Bills made the move to add Amari Cooper ahead of the trade deadline. The idea was that the aggressive move would give Buffalo the firepower it needs to compete for the Lombardi this January. Time is running out to get the veteran receiver involved though," they wrote.

"His usage thus far has been scattered. He saw 14 targets against the Rams in Week 14. Maybe that was a bit much, but he had a combined 15 targets in six other contests heading into last weekend."

Buffalo Bills star Amari Cooper catches a touchdown.
Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper (18) makes a catch for a touchdown against New York Jets cornerback Brandin Echols (26) during the second half at Highmark Stadium. / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Since being acquired from the Cleveland Browns, Cooper has played in eight games. He has caught just 20 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Those aren't the numbers that many expected to see from him.

At 30 years old, there are some who believe that Cooper is simply starting to age. Others think that he simply hasn't gotten comfortable in the Bills' offense.

Having Cooper playing at a high level in the playoffs would be a big step towards a championship for Buffalo. He has the chance to be a massive X-Factor for the Bills.

Playing alongside an elite quarterback like Josh Allen should have helped Cooper improve his numbers. That hasn't ended up being the case.

It will be interesting to see what Cooper is able to do during the upcoming playoff run. Buffalo badly needs him to step up his game, but that could require the game plan getting him more involved.

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Evan Massey
EVAN MASSEY

Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst who covers college football, the NFL and NBA. He has contributed to the On SI network since July 2021. He has also written for ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, NFLAnalysis.net, NBAAnalysis.net and many other publications. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son.