Buffalo Bills 2022-2023 Season Preview

Will 2022 be the year that the Buffalo Bills are finally able to win a Super Bowl?

The Buffalo Bills enter the 2022 NFL season coming off a heartbreaking loss in the 2021 AFC divisional round.  The Bills took a 36-33 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs with just 13 seconds remaining, and nearly everyone thought that the Bills, who had a win probability over 90%, would be hosting the AFC Conference title for the first time since they lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s.

 

Unfortunately for Bills fans, things didn’t work out that way, as Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs offense down the field for a game-tying field goal.  Once the Chiefs won the overtime coin toss, it was a foregone conclusion what would happen next, as neither defense had been able to get a stop down the stretch of regulation.  The Chiefs quickly drove down the field, scored a game winning touchdown, and the Bills suffered a tough 42-36 defeat without touching the ball in overtime.

 

The Bills, who are no stranger to heartbreak, were once again shellshocked as within minutes they went from celebrating what looked like a game winning touchdown that took less than a minute to being eliminated from the postseason.

 

The next few weeks saw plenty of blame go around.  The coaching staff was blamed for not squib kicking and then playing a soft prevent defense.  The defense was blamed for allowing the Chiefs to go 44 yards in 10 seconds before kicking a game-tying field goal.  The NFL rules committee was even blamed for having a rule that doesn’t allow the team that loses the coin toss a chance to touch the ball without getting a stop.  That rule was actually changed in the offseason, as owners voted 29-3 in favor of allowing both teams to touch the ball at least once in overtime of postseason games.

While this rule change would have helped the Bills in 2021, surely they would say that they shouldn’t have put themselves in a position where they even entered an overtime period.  After all, the Bills had the top ranked defense in all of football in 2021, yet were unable to keep the Chiefs from scoring with just 13 seconds on the clock.  That defense combined with an offense, led by superstar quarterback Josh Allen, that was top-three in terms of scoring and top-five in terms of yards made the Bills a popular pick entering the 2021 postseason.

Can the Bills rebound and finally win the Super Bowl?

Although the Bills dealt with a heartbreaking defeat last postseason, they do enter the 2022 season as the Super Bowl favorite, after adding two-time champion Von Miller to a defense that finished 2021 as the top ranked unit.  Their odds to win the Super Bowl currently sit at +600, while they are being given +300 odds to win the AFC.  The Bills are currently a -225 to win the AFC East and a whopping -550 to make the postseason, showing that Vegas considers them a virtual lock for both.  The Bills currently have an over/under win total of 11.5, while Josh Allen sits as the MVP favorite, with +700 odds.

 

Being the preseason favorite and actually winning the Super Bowl are two very different things.  On paper, the Bills roster seems stacked, even with the potential departure of wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley, who both remain unsigned.  Superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who remains in Buffalo after signing an extension, and Gabriel Davis, who emerged with four touchdowns and over 200 yards in the postseason loss to Kansas City, give the Bills confidence that they won’t need Sanders and Beasley.  Quarterbacks as talented as Allen generally make it easier to stomach the loss of wide receiving talent.

 

As for Allen, the MVP favorite is coming off back-to-back excellent seasons where he was able to put up incredible stats and lead the Bills to victories.  As with all young, emerging quarterbacks, the next step for Allen will be to prove that he is able to take his team on a deep postseason run.

 

The Bills, long known as “loveable losers”, are one of the least disliked teams, particularly amongst contenders, as most opposing fanbases spent years feeling sympathy for their passionate fanbase.  They have attempted to shake that title in recent years, but their postseason heartbreak has made that difficult.

 

2022 could very well be the year that the Bills are finally able to break through and win their first Super Bowl, or at least get to their first Super Bowl in nearly three decades.  As we’ve seen in recent years, having an elite quarterback with an elite defense always gives you a chance to win it all.

 

The Chiefs, who have been a thorn in the Bills side and eliminated them in the last two postseasons, will enter 2022 without star wide receiver Tyreek Hill, after trading him to the Miami Dolphins.  They will also be in a loaded AFC West, where all four teams are expected to compete for a postseason spot.  The reigning AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals will also be in a loaded division, as all four AFC North are also expected to compete for a postseason berth.  In the AFC East, the Dolphins and Patriots are both expected to be in the Wild Card race, but it is clearly the Bills division to lose.

 

The tight AFC West and AFC North races could open a path for the Bills to gain the #1 seed and a first-round bye, meaning that the AFC playoffs would run through Buffalo and the cold weather there.  The Tennessee Titans, the #1 seed from a year ago, will also be in the race for the #1 seed as they play in a very underwhelming AFC South, which features two of just three AFC teams not expected to compete.

 

Ultimately, the Bills are in an envious position with a great chance to make a run at their first Super Bowl.  They also know that Allen’s cap hit will rise tremendously after this season and will be looking to take advantage of their last year having the star at a discounted price.  After a tough loss last year, look for the Bills to bounce back.  They will make the postseason, and should advance to, at least, the AFC Championship game.  Getting hot at the right time is important, as we saw with the Bengals in 2021, but the Bills have as good of a chance as any team to hoist their first Lombardi trophy in 2022.