ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Dawson Knox #88, Spencer Brown #79 and Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills celebrate a touchdown run by Allen during the second half of an NFL football game at Highmark Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
Oh, what a difference a month makes!
Four weeks ago, Bills Mafia was reeling after the Bills lost their second straight game. The loss to the Vikings had fans questioning Josh Allen’s decision making and relenting to the possibility that the Bills weren’t who we thought they were.
The past month has shown the resiliency of a Bills team that has had to deal with a last-minute relocation for a “home game” in Detroit, countless significant injuries to key players and national critics questioning if Buffalo is for real or not.
Not only are the Buffalo Bills for real, but in the past month, they’ve gone 4-0, retaken the AFC East and are back on top of the AFC with a record of 10-3.
Due to the injury to Josh Allen’s throwing elbow, the Bills offense was forced to learn how to win in other ways. The most important difference over the past four weeks is the fact that the Bills are only averaging half of a turnover per game. Where, in the first nine games of the season, Buffalo averaged two per game. They are also utilizing their running backs out of the backfield more in recent weeks, which not only takes the strain off Allen’s elbow, it also has kept him from taking the hits he normally takes when he runs.
Just as important as balancing out the offense and limiting turnovers, the Bills need to do what they can to keep their defensive nucleus healthy down the stretch. Bills defensive stars such as Jordan Poyer, Gregory Rousseau, Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano have missed a combined total of 10 games this season. Poyer’s absence is the most devastating as the Bills have gone 1-3 without him in the lineup and 9-0 with him playing.
While the past four weeks have been great in building the team’s confidence, the Bills have gone 4-0 versus teams with a combined record of 25-27. The true test to keep a grip on the number one seed in the conference will be over the last four games of the season where the Bills will play the Dolphins, Bears, Bengals and Patriots—teams that have a 27-25 combined record. Three of the four teams have playoff aspirations and will give the Bills everything they have.
The Bills are currently tied with the Kansas City Chiefs with the best record in the AFC but have the stronghold on the number one seed because of their victory over the Chiefs earlier in the season. The Bills cannot afford to lose another game this season as the Chiefs remaining games include the Texans, Seahawks, Broncos and Raiders who have a combined record of 16-35-1.
