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Dire nature of Bills’ receiving corps encapsulated in this concerning stat

The Buffalo Bills' receiving corps struggled to create separation throughout the team's Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans.

Kyle Silagyi

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The Buffalo Bills’ ‘everyone eats’ offense is apparently on a strict diet.

Few areas are bereft of blame in Buffalo’s ugly 23-20 loss to the Houston Texans, with the receiving corps’ production (or lack thereof) certainly playing a role in the outcome of the Week 5 clash. Quarterback Josh Allen targeted his wide receivers 18 times throughout the contest, with the position group combining for just four receptions for 76 yards.

Keon Coleman led the way statistically, with all 49 of his yards coming on his third-quarter touchdown reception. Mack Hollins caught two balls for 27 yards while Curtis Samuel caught one pass for no gain. Four receptions on 18 targets. Allen, sure, had one of the worst statistical performances of his career in the loss (completing just 30% of his passes), and while a number of his throws were off-target throughout the day, is he entirely at fault for his wide receivers catching just 22% of their targets?

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While possible, in theory, that seems unlikely. Some blame has to be afforded to the team’s receiving corps, with longtime NFL pundit Greg Rosenthal posting a statistic after the game that encapsulates just how unproductive the group was; Allen, per Rosenthal, finished the game just 1-of-15 on passes more than 10 yards down the field.

“Was almost like the Texans dared those receivers to beat them,” Rosenthal wrote.

And they didn’t. Buffalo’s receivers struggled to create any type of separation throughout the game, and while Allen has the ability to thread the needle and fit balls into remarkably tight windows, asking him—or any quarterback—to do so throughout the entirety of a game is a recipe for disaster.

The players that make up the receiving corps are not entirely at fault here, as one could justifiably look at the players who were targeted on Sunday and simply ask, “Well, what did the Bills expect?” Hollins led his position group in targets on the day with six; he’s a career role-player who thrives as a blocker and special teamer, and asking him to play a significant role in a passing attack is simply disadvantageous at this point. Coleman was second in targets with five; he’s a rookie who was generally viewed as raw in the pre-draft process, and expecting him to be a refined target-eater in his fifth career game is simply unfair. Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling had four and three targets, respectively, but these are career complementary options who, again, demonstrably can’t be relied upon for consistent offensive production at this juncture.

Josh Allen
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Buffalo opted to take an egalitarian approach to aerial production following the offseason departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, creating a theoretically robust group of versatile weapons to which Allen could disperse the ball relatively evenly. Through five games, it’s clear that the group lacks the necessary firepower to be consistently competitive.

Additional talent is needed. Reliable third-year contributor Khalil Shakir was sidelined in Week 5 with an ankle injury, and his ultimate return will provide a boost; that said, the ceiling of the receiving corps is relatively low regardless of Shakir’s availability. Allen (and every other quarterback in football) needs receivers who can create separation, and right now, the number of wideouts on Buffalo’s roster who can do so consistently is concerningly low; pass-catchers reportedly on the market right now include Las Vegas Raiders All-Pro Davante Adams, Cleveland Browns receiver Amari Cooper, and Green Bay Packers wideout Romeo Doubs.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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