1. Why the Bills may have the best offseason acquisition
Did Bills general manager Brandon Beane make the NFL's best offseason acquisition? NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks dove into why wide receiver Stefon Diggs is working for the Bills. Brooks believes Beane should be up for NFL Executive of the Year after landing Diggs due to the impact the wide receiver has had on Buffalo's offense and quarterback Josh Allen's efficiency.
His presence on the perimeter has boosted Josh Allen's efficiency, as evidenced by his 122.7 passer rating in 2020 compared to a 67.9 mark in 2018 and an 85.3 in 2019. As an A-plus route runner with vertical playmaking ability, Diggs has accounted for the fourth-most receiving yards on go routes (four catches, 123 yards, TD) and crossing routes (five catches, 111 yards, TD), per Next Gen Stats.
With Diggs on the perimeter, Allen has become a more efficient deep-ball passer, particularly on go routes and crossers. He has a 61.5 percent completion rate with two touchdowns, one interception and a 113.0 passer rating on go routes this season. That's a significant improvement from the 31.1 percent completion rate, 4:2 TD-to-INT ratio and 78.4 passer rating he had when targeting those routes in 2019. On crossing routes, Allen's 75 percent completion rate, 13.1 yards per attempt, 5:0 TD-to-INT ratio and 156.3 passer rating is well above the 63.9 percent completion rate, 8.0 yards per attempt, 4:2 TD-to-INT ratio and 97.0 passer rating he posted in 2019.
2. Who's Buffalo's best building block?
Bleacher Report went around the NFL and picked each team's best young building block. Based on Buffalo's undefeated record and the success they're having on offense, B/R thinks it has to be quarterback Josh Allen.
The 2018 first-round pick has established himself as the Bills' long-term answer at quarterback, which has allowed the front office to be more aggressive in building the offense around him. This offseason, Buffalo traded its 2020 first-, fifth- and sixth-round picks along with a 2021 fourth-rounder to the Minnesota Vikings for receiver Stefon Diggs and a 2020 seventh-round pick.
The Bills also signed free-agent receivers Cole Beasley and John Brown and drafted running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss over the past two seasons, giving Allen all of the weapons he needs to be successful. That plan is working out so far, with the Bills offense scoring over 30 points per game.
3. Milestones to look out for in Week 5
Through the first four games of the season, the Bills have matched and set many new franchise and league records. Going into their fifth game of the season against the Titans, Buffalo has the chance to set and match several new records. Here are some to look out for.
- If the Bills beat the Titans, they will be 5-0 for the first time since 1991.
- If the Buffalo beats Tennessee, Bills head coach Sean McDermott will tally his 30th win as the Bills head coach. McDermott would pass Wade Phillips for the fourth most in team history.
- If Josh Allen has a passer rating at or above 100, that will be his fifth straight game with such a number and set a new team record.
- If Josh Allen throws for at least 174 passing yards and no interceptions, he will become the third player in league history with 1,500+ passing yards, 12+ passing touchdowns and 1 or fewer interceptions in the first five games of a season. Only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have matched this.
- If Josh Allen throws for at least 280 passing yards, he will become the first quarterback in franchise history with five straight games of at least 280 passing yards.
- If Stefon Diggs records at least 140 receiving yards, he would set a new club record for most receiving yards in the first five games of a season. Diggs would surpass Elbert Dubenion's 542 yards in 1964.
