Buffalo Bills: A frustrating 2018 win total in an ESPN projection
The Buffalo Bills are fresh off a playoff appearance but that doesn’t mean the team is projected to do great during the 2018 season.
The Buffalo Bills have only finished with a winning record three times in the new millennium. Each time the team finished 9-7.
That was the record last year when the team got some help and reached the postseason. Fans want to see a similar result this season, but it is hard to project the Bills eclipsing the nine-win mark with all the questions all over the field.
That was the case in a recent ESPN projection according to their NFL Football Power Index. An explanation of the Index:
"ESPN’s NFL Football Power Index (FPI) is a prediction system for the NFL developed by ESPN’s Analytics Team. Each team’s FPI rating is composed of a predicted offensive, defensive and special teams efficiency, as measured by expected points added per play, and that rating is the basis for FPI’s game-level and season-level projections."
The Index has the Bills finishing with a record of 7-9. It should be noted that the best projection for any team is 11-5 and the worst is 6-10. So clearly this is not some exact science, but rather a formula that hopes for the best. I know Cleveland Browns fans would be thrilled with their projected record of 6-10.
This 7-9 projection will likely cause some members of Bills Mafia to laugh and declare this Index to be quite the farce. But I think 7-9 is a fair prediction, for now.
Once this team solidifies the quarterback position and the offensive line over the coming months, we will see just how good the team will be. The wide receiver is another area that could use an upgrade, as we have been saying here on the site since the NFL Draft.
Next: Top 5 quarterbacks in franchise history
If you are angry about this projection, just let it fuel the fire of Buffalo always being the underdog. Bills fans were likely the only ones who thought the team would make the postseason a year ago and look how that turned out.