Several weeks ago, things looked bleak for the Buffalo Bills. They were 6-6, and the playoffs were beginning to seem further and further away.
However, the Bills have now won four straight games to push their record to 10-6 and set up a matchup with the Miami Dolphins for AFC East supremacy this Sunday. The winner of the game will win the division title, something that seemed incredibly unlikely for Buffalo a month ago.
Nevertheless, the Bills are here, and they could end up being a team that no one wants to face in the postseason.
Here are three burning questions for Buffalo heading into its clash with the Dolphins in South Beach.
Which Josh Allen Will Show Up?
The Bills may be in the middle of a four-game winning streak, but they have largely done it in spite of the play of Josh Allen.
During this recent stretch, Allen has thrown three touchdowns and three interceptions. He has completed less than 55 percent of his passes three times. He hasn’t hit 250 yards passing once.
In this past weekend’s win over the New England Patriots, Allen went just 15-for-30 with 169 yards and a pick. He posted a passer rating of 53.3, his worst of the season.
Allen really hasn’t been great all year, but he has certainly had times where he has played better than these last four contests.
Buffalo will need a much better version of Allen against the high-octane Dolphins in Week 18.
Will Stefon Diggs See More Touches?
One of the strangest subplots of the Bills’ topsy-turvy 2023-24 campaign has been the declining production of wide receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs logged five 100-yard outings over his first six games of the season. Since then, he hasn’t posted any, with his last such effort coming all the way back on Oct. 15.
Additionally, Diggs hauled in 70 receptions over the Bills’ first nine games. In the last seven games, he has totaled just 30 catches.
Head coach Sean McDermott has given vague answers when asked to explain Diggs’ minimized role in the second half of the season, stating that Diggs is healthy and that Allen is simply making what he feels are proper reads when spreading the football around.
Whatever the case may be, Buffalo may have to get Diggs more involved in the offense this weekend. He is the club’s No. 1 receiver after all.
Can The Bills Put Together 60 Minutes of Good Football?
Consistency has been the biggest issue with the Bills this season, which is precisely the reason why they will be fighting for their playoff lives in the season finale.
Even over the last four weeks, Buffalo has looked very shaky at times. While the Bills blew out the Dallas Cowboys three games ago, they squeaked by the Los Angeles Chargers and New England Patriots—two clearly inferior teams—over the last couple of weeks.
If the Bills play against the Dolphins the way they played against the Chargers and Patriots, they will almost certainly lose.
Here is the good news: you know one of the only times Buffalo put together 60 minutes of dominant football this season? Week 4, when it blew out Miami by a score of 48-20.
The Bills have won their last three meetings with the Dolphins (including playoffs), so they have had Miami’s number lately.
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