Oh, what a difference a Diggs makes. The addition of Stefon Diggs to the receiving corps is probably the best offensive, non-draft transaction the Bills’ franchise has made over the past 20-years. No disrespect to John Brown and Cole Beasley who are both very good WRs and integral pieces of the current system, vastly underrated in their former situations, but Buffalo hadn’t moved on a high-profile player since signing then 35-year-old Terrell Owens to a one-year deal in 2009. That shows you the kind of conservative approach the franchise had taken over the years.
Before General Manager Brandon Beane arrived in 2017 the Bills had five different GMs from 2001-2016 including now Senior VP of the XFL, Doug Whaley. That’s an alarming rate of turnover for one of the most pivotal executive jobs in pro football and as a result, for almost two decades, Buffalo served almost as a farm team of sorts for the rest of the league. Missing the playoffs for 17 straight seasons puts you in prime draft position and they took plenty of top-tier talent that would become Pro Bowlers. However, it never added up to a playoff team and essentially all that talent went on to find more success elsewhere: Marshawn Lynch, Jason Peters, Nate Clements, Antoine Winfield, Donte Whitner, Jarius Byrd, Marcel Dareus, Sammy Watkins, and Robert Woods to name a few.
Which brings me back to Diggs. His arrival in Western New York signaled a full commitment to a cultural shift from the front office, to the locker room, to the field. His impact was immediate in week one. Don’t believe me? Ask the Vikings how things are getting along without him. Diggs had a respectable debut with eight grabs for 86-yards in Buffalo’s 27-17 win over the Jets, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. He scorched the Dolphins’ defense on Sunday to the tune of 153-yards and a TD on another eight grabs. Beyond his impressive stat line, John Brown went 4-82-1, Cole Beasley posted 5-70-0, and Josh Allen wound up having a career day, throwing for 417-yards, 4-TDs, and no picks on 24/35 attempts (no fumbles either, yay!!).
Sure, Miami was without some of their secondary pieces but trying to match up with this WR group in man coverage is a nightmare. The Dolphins and the Jets aren’t the best litmus test, but it’s as good of a start for the offense as you could have hoped for. Considering the Bills have struggled to score more than 20-pts/game over the last few seasons, the offense is trending in the right direction.
On the other hand, the defense isn’t trending upward which is cause for concern. Edging the Dolphins 31-28 is way too close for comfort and the absence of starting linebackers, Matt Milano and Tremaine Edmunds, clearly made a big difference as Miami TE Mike Gesicki ran roughshod on the Bills’ defense for 8-130-1. That was just one piece of Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 300-yard passing day against his former squad but Buffalo also gave up 4.5-yards-per-carry on the ground. It’s a bit concerning considering the D-line is supposed to be upgraded with the addition of Vernon Butler, Mario Addison, and Quinton Jefferson but it’s not time to panic just yet. Missing your top two LBs probably contributed to the 99 total rushing yards for the Fins.
Overall Grade: B-
Starting the season 2-0 is never a bad thing, especially when they’re both division wins, but things are going to get more difficult in a hurry. Buffalo welcomes the 2-0 Rams next, fresh off a pair of impressive victories. If Milano and Edmunds remain sidelined, you can rest assured that Sean McVay will go right after the middle of the defense. The way Los Angeles uses the play-action game to set up their passes could prove problematic. Thankfully the Bills bring substantial firepower of their own to the table in what could be a shootout. This team has never had to deal with the likes of (2018 Defensive Player of the Year) Aaron Donald before and they better come prepared. I’d like to see Buff get a key W at home but we’ll know a lot more about them either way, when the dust settles in Orchard Park next Sunday.