Buffalo Bills 2020 Season Takeaways
Despite losing to the Kansas City Chiefs a couple of weeks ago, the Buffalo Bills had a great season. In this article, I will give you a few moments that Bills fans can cling onto heading into the offseason.
Buffalo Has Their Franchise Quarterback
The biggest concern going into last season was to see if Josh Allen was going to take the next step or not. After this season, I think it’s safe to say Allen will be here for a long time. According to Pro Football Reference, Allen had a MVP caliber season. During the regular season, he threw 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, while registering 4,544 passing yards. Even though he had a tremendous regular season, people were wondering how he would do in the playoffs. If you saw Allen in the playoff game last year against the Houston Texans, you were wondering if he would have a repeat performance.
The 2020 NFL playoffs were a different story. The Bills quarterback threw for 817 passing yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Now that his season is over, there’s another concern surrounding the Bills and Allen, a contract extension. Bills general manager Brandon Beane made it known that Bills management and Allen will discuss a possible extension in the offseason. We’ll see what happens but Allen broke franchise records, so he definitely is worthy of a payday. To see what Allen accomplished this year, check out his highlights down below.
Worth The First Round Pick
A big reason why Allen had a great year, the addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Pro Football Reference says Diggs had 127 catches for 1,535 receiving yards and caught eight touchdowns. Buffalo gave up a lot for him but if you ask me and other Bills fans, it was worth it since Diggs led the NFL in receiving yards. It’s amazing what one player can do for a franchise. Before acquiring him, Buffalo needed a proven number one wide receiver. I cannot wait to see what he does next season. To see what Diggs did for the Bills, check out his 2020 highlights below.
Winning The Division
After Tom Brady left the Patriots in the offseason, it opened the door for the Bills to win the division. The first quarter of the season went great for Buffalo, going 4-0. However the next two games were disappointing with losses to Tennessee and Kansas City. The team was struggling despite going on a three game winning streak after those two losses. Then, they lost on a Hail Mary. However, that was the turning point of the season. That loss made the team better and after that heartbreaking loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the Bills would win the rest of their games. One win included them winning the division against the Denver Broncos. There were a lot of memorable moments from this season, but for me, this is the number one moment for me.
Taking The Next Step
In 2019, Buffalo made the playoffs for the second time in three years. Even though it was a heartbreaking ending, the bad taste of that defeat was with not only the players, coaches and staff, but the fans as well. Waiting eight long months to get back on the field and I was hungry for the season to start. After having a great regular season, Buffalo was a Super Bowl contender. The regular season was nice but the postseason is another animal. They already won the division, next up was winning a playoff game. Something this franchise hasn’t done since the 1990’s.
The first opponent, the Indianapolis Colts. Buffalo had a three point lead with just seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Indianapolis attempted a Hail Mary and for 10 seconds, the world stood still for Bills fans. Buffalo was fooled once but weren’t fooled this time, as they would win the game. For the divisional round, the Baltimore Ravens would be traveling to Buffalo. This was the game of the weekend because the two hottest teams at the end of the regular season were the Bills and the Ravens. After a slow start for both teams, Buffalo would score the first touchdown of the game in the third quarter. However, Baltimore was on the verge of tying the game up but Bills cornerback Taron Johnson would not let that happen. This play was a franchise altering play and sent Buffalo in a frenzy.
Even though they lost to the Chiefs in the AFC championship game, the organization took the next step this year. They went from good to great in one year. Don’t get me wrong, that loss to Kansas City was a tough way to go out, but one thing is for sure, this team is just getting started. This hype video is worth the watch. Think about it, this organization went from two first round exits in 2017 and 2019, to being one win away from going to the Super Bowl in 2020. Buffalo should be proud of this club, very proud.
AFC’s Second Seed
With a record of 13-3, Buffalo was the second seed in the AFC. When the schedule came out, there were going to be some challenging tests for the Bills. Buffalo had the third hardest schedule in the entire league, but their performance in the regular season would tell a different story. Before the season started, I had them going 12-4. I had a feeling they were going to be good but I was amazed that they were this good. To think they were one play away from being 14-2 is mind boggling.
Emerging Stars
A couple of rookies made an impact this year for Buffalo. Starting off with wide receiver Gabriel Davis. The Bills had some injuries at wide receiver this season. Someone had to step up and that’s just what Davis did. Davis had some good plays this year, but the two plays that stand out to me happened in the wild card game against the Colts. Buffalo was trying to get a score before halftime when Davis made two incredible catches.
The other rookie is kicker Tyler Bass. After struggling in the first few games this year, Bass was able to get it together and was clutch for the Bills during the season and in the playoffs. He was drafted by the Bills and replaced Stephen Hauschka. I’ll admit it, I wanted him gone but I am so happy he proved me wrong. This kick against the Colts really won the game for the Bills when you think about it and his reaction says it all.
Final Thoughts
My final message to Bills Mafia is a heartfelt one. Even though the season came to an abrupt end, be proud of this team. Like I said earlier, they took the next step this year. Not only did they win the division, but they also won two playoff games. This team was one win away from going to the Super Bowl, let that sink in. This fanbase has been through a lot. Four straight Super Bowl losses, a playoff drought that lasted for almost two decades, hiring and firing coaches after two years. They also have seen so many quarterbacks and thought they were the one.
To conclude this article, the bar is set. They need to have a great offseason, I would like to see them bring in a pass rusher and a solid cornerback. The goal for next season is simple, and Kyle Brandt from Good Morning Football said it best, “Win the whole damn thing.”
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-Zach Jezioro (@Zach_Jezioro13)