The National Football League (NFL) is full of records. Some are coveted, others less so. The Buffalo Bills have one of the unwanted records: they are tied with the Minnesota Vikings for reaching four Super Bowls and returning home empty-handed each time. Additionally, the Bills are the only NFL franchise to navigate to four consecutive Super Bowl games and lose all four. Could this season be where the Bills finally get the job done and lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft?
Before the Week 15 clash with Super Bowl favorites, the Detroit Lions, bookmakers priced the Bills as the fourth team most likely to be crowned Super Bowl LIX champions. Following that thrilling 48-42 win, in a game many think was the dress rehearsal for the Super Bowl, the Bills are now the third favorite for football’s most prestigious prize. You can see why many Bills fans are checking out the Bovada online sportsbook review before backing their team to become football’s champions.
Josh Allen Could Become the NFL MVP
They say defenses win you Super Bowl titles, which is true to some degree, but talented offensive units can also make all the difference. Head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady have turned the 2024 Buffalo Bills into a scoring machine. Through 14 completed fixtures, the Bills’ offensive averages 31.8 points per game, the second-best in the entire NFL.
The Bills’ offense has scored at least 30 points in 11 of the team’s 14 games, an impressive feat engineered by the talented quarterback Josh Allen. The number seven pick of the 2018 NFL Draft has been superb during the regular season. Now in his seventh season with the Bills, Allen already holds the franchise record for most touchdown passes. In the 42-44 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Week 14, Allen tallied 424 yards and became the first player in NFL history to throw three touchdown passes and score three rushing touchdowns in a regular season game.
Allen completed 23 of his 34 passes against the Lions, throwing for 362 yards and two touchdowns. As has been the case for most of the season, Allen was efficient running with the ball, adding 68 yards from 11 carries and scoring another two touchdowns. It is easy to see why Allen is the hot favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award once the regular season concludes in early January.
Free-Scoring Bills Are a Delight to Watch
The scary thing for Bills’ opponents is how the passing touchdowns are shared among the team. There isn’t one player miles ahead of the rest. Indeed, four wide receivers have at least three touchdowns to their names, while running back Ty Johnson has also found paydirt three times after catching passes.
Speaking of the rushing game, the Bills are first in the league for rushing touchdowns (28). Quarterback Allen already has 11 rushing touchdowns, while James Cook has carried the ball into the endzone 13 times, having only scored four times across his previous two seasons as a professional player. A team will always have a chance to win football games with multiple threats through the air and on the ground.
When The Going Gets Tough, the Bills’ Defense Gets Going
The 2024 Buffalo Bills are not only high-scoring offensively but also tight defensively. Their defense allows 22.1 points per game, the 12th in the league. That figure would have been much lower had the 42-44 defeat at the Los Angeles Rams and the 48-42 win over the Lions not happened. Outside those high-scoring fixtures, the Bills’ stoic defense has limited its opponents to 10 or fewer points in five of the team’s 14 regular-season fixtures.
Linebacker Dorian Williams was thrust into the Bills’ 2024 starting line-up after Matt Milano‘s injury, and the 2023 NFL Draft third-round pick made the position his own. Williams has 100 tackles, while three others (Terrel Bernard, Damar Hamlin, and Taylor Rapp) have at least 75 combined tackles. Everything about the Bills’ offense and defense screams that it is a team effort.
What About the Bills’ Playoff Hoodoo?
History is not on the Bills’ side, which will weigh heavily on the minds of the team’s loyal fans. The Bills have not played in a Super Bowl since 1993, when they lost in football’s biggest game for the fourth consecutive year. However, that was 31 years ago, and this Bills team looks the real deal.
Bills fans saw their beloved team fail to reach the playoffs between 2000 and 2016, and the playoff bracket hasn’t been kind to them since they rekindled their post-season form. The Bills have faced the Kansas City Chiefs in crunch games three times in the past four seasons. They faltered 24-38 in the 2020 AFC Championship Game, fell 36-42 in overtime in the Divisional Playoffs in 2021, and narrowly lost 24-27 in the Divisional Playoffs last season.
However, the Bills have already beaten the Chiefs (30-21) this season, which must fill the team with confidence. Many NFL pundits believe the Bills and the Lions will contest Super Bowl LIX. If that turns out to be the case, the Bills have a psychological advantage after the exciting 48-42 victory on December 15.
If The Bills Don’t Win, Who Will?
This season has seen several teams shine bright on the football field; it has been an incredible campaign for the neutral fan. The Kansas City Chiefs (13-1) are the Bills’ most significant threat in the AFC, although you should not write off the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ chances.
The NFC is awash with teams boasting impressive records. The injury-ravaged Detroit Lions (12-2), Philadelphia Eagles (12-2), and Minnesota Vikings (11-2) have locked in a playoff place, with the Green Bay Packers (10-4) all but guaranteed to join them. Any of those NFC teams have what it takes to reach and win the Super Bowl, but the Buffalo Bills will not fear any of them, especially with the form Josh Allen is in.
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