Are The Bills Really Super Bowl Contenders?

By Rachel Walker 

The Buffalo Bills are the favorite when it comes to winning the Super Bowl this year.  But after week 4, are they really Super Bowl contenders? For the last two weeks, the Bills have struggled. Losing Micha Hyde, saftey, seemed to be the start of bad luck for the Bills. During the game against the Titans, Dane Jackson, connerback, was rushed to the hospital after a sudden neck injury.  The next week the Bills played in 97-degree heat against the Dolphins. In that game, Gabe Davis, wide reciver, Jordan Poyer, S, Dane Jackson, and Micha Hyde were all ruled out for the game.  By the end of the game, the Bills had 4 starters on defense and offense left in the game. Stefon Diggs exclaimed how the game against the Dolphins was the hardest he had ever played in. This past the Bills had a major comeback of 17 points to beat the Raven Josh threw 68.2% complete. Allen has the second highest completion and yards in the NFL, behind Justin Herbert. Although Allen struggled at the start of the Ravens game he managed to lead the Bills to victory. So after week 4, are the Bills really Super Bowl contenders? The fact is Josh Allen is still easily a top-three quarterback. 

Their stellar offensive and dominant defense show how great the Bills truly are, even without  Micha Hyde and Dane Jackson, who played against the Ravens. Furthermore, Tre’davious White is expected to return in week five. The Bills defense is statistically the best in the NFL, but we can’t talk about the defense without bringing up Von Miller. All around the NFL is talk about how the Chiefs came back in 13 seconds to win the game and go to the AFC Championship. What the Bills needed to win was a closer: insert Von Miller, a key part in taking the Bills to the Super Bowl. Don’t believe me? In the first game of the season against the Rams, Miller had 2.5 sacks. Not to mention, he has also won the Super Bowl two other times with two different teams. He is one of the best players in the league and he fits in perfectly with the Bills. As great as Von is, the defense BV, before Von, was the best in the league last year. The Bills defense last year allowed the fewest amount of points as well as the fewest amount of yards. A key member of the defense, Tre’davious White, tore his ACL against the Broncos. While he was away, captains Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer took over the defense. The two had a total of ten interceptions last year. One of the reason the Bills defense was number one. Even with injuries, the defense is one of the deepest in the league. Every few minutes different members of the defense are on the field. One of the reasons aside from talent the Bills have such a good defense is because of the ability to give the team time to rest. When a defender is subbed back in, he has fresh legs to make all the plays he needs to. 

As any Bills fan will tell you, Josh Allen is the best Bills quarterback since Jim Kelly, who retired in 1996 and took the Bills to the Super Bowl four years in a row. Josh Allens size and athleticism make him one of the best quarterbacks in the league without a doubt. It’s not often you see a quarterback jump over or stiff-arm a defensive player. Josh has done both, multiple times. Not to mention, Allen has great awareness as a quarterback and will do anything to “give his team a chance to win.” Josh also throws darts and doesn’t often throw many interceptions. Last year his completion percentage was 63.3%. This year, his completion percentage is 67.3%, one of the highest among all quarterbacks in the league. On top of that, Josh Allen has great wide receivers. Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen have a connection like no other. Diggs was signed to the Bills over Covid, so since they couldn’t meet in person, the two met and bonded over playing Call of Duty. Their friendship off the field has definitely transferred to on the field. Last year Diggs had 1225 yards and 10 touchdowns. This year Diggs has 406 yards and 31 catches, the second most in the NFL. But Diggs isn’t the only wide receiver Josh has. Last year both Gabriel Davis and Isaiah Mckenzie had breakout years, adding even more depth to the offense. Davis scored a whopping four touchdowns in the playoff game against the Chiefs last year. This year he continues to play a big role in the offense with 138 yards and eight catches. 138 yards might not seem like a lot, however, he missed second games. Mckenzie also had a breakout game last year against the Patriots scoring three touchdowns. This year he has 153 yards and 15 catches. With three outstanding receivers, Allen always has options, even when the receivers aren’t open. The Bills running back is often overlooked because of his size but Devin Singletary is just what the Bills need when it comes to a running back. Against the Rams, he had 48 yards and advanced the ball when needed. At the end of week four, he has 141 yards and 17 catches. Furthermore, tight end Dawson Knox continues to be an essential part of the offense, blocking when needed, while still getting his fair share of catches. A good QB, tight end, running back, and wide receiver are essential to having a good offense, but so is a strong offensive line and the Bills have one of the best. On average Josh Allen has about 2.6 seconds to throw the ball. Furthermore, Josh does not get sacked often. The O-line is to thank for that. The offense has continued to show out not punting in two of the last four games. It’s no surprise the Bills have one of the top offenses. 

Regardless of what I say, the Bills will still never completely win football fans’ hearts. But after a dominant past couple of games, the Bills deserve respect. The Bills are not overhyped at all. They are exactly who everyone thought they were, if not more and the last couple of games prove that. Say whatever you will about the Rams, but they won the Super Bowl last year, beating either your team or the team that beat yours along the way. Defeating the past super bowl champs as heavy-handedly as they did speak for itself. And did I mention the fact they are undefeated?  The 2022 Buffalo Bills will be Super Bowl Champions this year, without a doubt in my mind.