The Buffalo Bills razor thin chance to gain the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs was snuffed out when Younghoe Koo missed a 39-yard field goal to hand the Kansas City Chiefs their fourteenth victory of the season. The more immediate and more likely scenario is the Bills clinching the #2 seed. They can secure that spot by winning their final two contests starting Monday night against the Patriots. That is still an unknown and will play out over the next two weeks. What we already know is that this year’s Bills team is accomplishing things not seen in a long time.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen’s breakout year is what the Bills and their Mafia have been waiting for since Jim Kelly retired in 1997. He’s big and athletic, blue collar and humble, has a firehose for an arm and has embraced the city of Buffalo and its fans completely. In only his third season, Allen is already looking to make his mark in the Buffalo Bills record books with the following:
Highest completion percentage in a season (at least 300 passing attempts) – Currently at 68.7 percent, leading Trent Edwards’ 65.5 percent in 2008.
Touchdown passes in a season – Currently has 30 & needs 4 more to pass Jim Kelly’s record of 33 set in 1991.
Quarterback rating for season (at least 300 passing attempts) – Currently at 104.2, leading Jim Kelly’s 101.2 in 1990.
Passing yards in a season – Currently has 4,000 & needs 360 to pass Drew Bledsoe’s record of 4,359 set in 2002.
Rushing TDs by a QB in a season – Currently has 8 & needs 2 more to break his own record of 9 set in 2019.
Potent Offense
This season’s Bills offensive squad has talent top to bottom that hasn’t been witnessed since the Super Bowl years. The pieces that GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have put together fit in a complimentary way that can be seen both on the field and on the stat sheet. Here are some examples:
– First 11-win season since 1999 and a chance to win 13 games which hasn’t been done since 1991.
– First time scoring at least 400 points in a season since 1998 and need 52 more points to break the record of 458 set by the team in 1991.
– Stefon Diggs now has the most franchise receptions in a season with 111. The only other Bills player to reach 100 was Eric Moulds in 2002.
– Stefon Diggs needs just 55 more yards to break the franchise record of 1368 set by Eric Moulds in 1998.
– Cole Beasley needs just 50 more yards to have two Bills receivers catch at least 1000 yards in a season since Peerless Price and Eric Moulds did it in 2002.
Nothing is Finished
There are still two regular season games of importance to be played that will close out the regular season. There are more unknowns that still need to be settled. The unusual 2020 – 2021 season is only beginning its final chapters with the conclusion still unwritten. What we do know is that the Bills are going to the playoffs and haven’t been playing at this high of a competitive level in a generation.
