Buffalo Bills 2021 season preview: The offense is ready to dominate

Now that the preseason has concluded, the NFL regular season is right around the corner. The Buffalo Bills 2021 season preview rolls on with a look at the offense.

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After we recently took a look back at the Bills 2020 campaign, what is ahead for 2021? The offense is loaded and has a now uber-rich quarterback under center in Josh Allen. Who else will help Allen as we continue our Buffalo Bills 2021 season preview?

In terms of a quick review, the 2020 team went 13-3 and won two home playoff games before bowing out in the AFC Championship to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It was Buffalo’s first trip to the conference championship in 27 years.

Expectations are sky-high among Bills Mafia, and rightfully so. The team has its franchise quarterback, savvy management, an excellent coach, and depth all over the field.

For what it’s worth, the Bills went 3-0 in the preseason and are among the most popular teams to hoist the Lombardi trophy this year.

Buffalo Bills 2021 season preview: QB Josh Allen remains the key to success

Allen took a massive leap last year, piling up 4,544 yards passing, with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The former first-round pick added 421 yards and eight scores on the ground. Any success for Buffalo this season begins and ends with the 25-year-old’s arm and legs.

The six-year, $258-million contract signed by Allen is a massive bet by the Bills that last season was no fluke. The team and player are now married for the long run and Allen is the key to whether or not a title comes to Buffalo.

The Wyoming product was fourth in the league in passing DYAR, or Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement, according to Football Outsiders. He also ranked fourth among quarterbacks in rushing DYAR.

Allen’s peers have taken notice as well, placing him 10th in NFL Network’s annual Top 100 rankings. This represented a 77-place improvement over last year’s list.

Mitchell Trubisky was signed in the offseason to provide insurance, should anything happen to Allen. The former second-overall pick needed a change of scenery after four years in Chicago. His preseason was sharp and Trubisky has the tools to succeed if Buffalo needs him for short spurts. If the team has to rely on him for too long though, the season will be lost.

An elite receiver leads the skill position groups

Buffalo piled up 396.4 yards per game on offense in the 2020 season, good for second in the league. The team was third in passing yards and 20th in rushing yards. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs led the aerial assault, amassing 127 catches for 1,535 yards and eight scores, on his way to being named a first-team All-Pro.

Cole Beasley added 82 catches for 967 yards and four scores as the premium slot option. Head coach Sean McDermott is surely hoping for continued improvement from second-year receiver Gabriel Davis. The former Central Florida standout contributed 35 receptions for 599 yards and seven touchdowns a year ago. The team selected Marquez Stevenson out of Houston in the sixth round of this year’s draft.

Veteran Emmanuel Sanders was brought in from New Orleans in the offseason to bolster the receiver depth chart in Buffalo. Dawson Knox will return as the primary option at tight end after catching 24 passes in 2020. Jacob Hollister will join him after coming over from the Seattle Seahawks, where he made 25 receptions last season.

The running back room will look largely the same in 2021 as it did last season. Devin Singletary and Zach Moss will provide most of the output in the backfield. Singletary had 687 yards and two touchdowns rushing last year, while Moss chipped in 481 yards and four scores. Singletary is the more competent receiving threat of the two, catching 38 passes for 269 yards in 2020.

To add to their depth, the Bills brought Matt Breida in from Miami, where he ran for 254 yards on 59 carries last season. His workload was minimal in a crowded backfield with Miami. Breida had 1,902 yards over three seasons in San Francisco before that, with an average of five yards per carry.

Buffalo Bills 2021 season preview: Strong offensive line returns

The Bills’ offensive line was a major strength for the team last season, helping Allen and company put up such eye-popping numbers. According to PFF, Buffalo had the tenth best line in football in 2020.

The unit was definitely much more solid in pass protection, ranking fifth in the league, per Football Outsiders. The line was not as strong in opening holes in the running game and it showed in Buffalo’s rushing attack.

Dion Dawkins, Mitch Morse, and Darryl Williams return to anchor the offensive line after starting a combined 46 of 48 games in 2020. Cody Ford and John Feliciano will look to play full seasons at the guard positions after starting seven and nine games respectively last year.

Tackle Spencer Brown was selected in the third round of the 2021 Draft and figures to provide more than just depth. Tackle Tommy Doyle was taken in the fifth round and guard Jack Anderson in the seventh.

There is a ton of continuity from last year’s offensive juggernaut for the Bills. Buffalo committed to Allen and took away any doubt as to who the leader of this franchise is. The team made some solid depth additions in Trubisky, Breida, and Sanders in the offseason. Expect Buffalo to be lighting up scoreboards across the league once again in 2021.

–COMING SOON: BUFFALO BILLS 2021 SEASON PREVIEW: THE DEFENSE–

What do you think of the Buffalo Bills offense in 2021? Will they be able to keep up with Mahomes and the Chiefs, and some of the other great offenses in the NFL? Let us know in the comments below.