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Buffalo Bills: Top 3 offensive takeaways from the 2020 Bills offense

By Matthew Hodowany

Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) celebrates with quarterback Josh Allen (17) and running back Zack Moss (20) after scoring a touch down against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs (14) celebrates with quarterback Josh Allen (17) and running back Zack Moss (20) after scoring a touch down against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports /
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Buffalo Bills
Nov 1, 2020; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) eyes New England Patriots strong safety Adrian Phillips (21) on a running play in the fourth quarter at Bills Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Non-reliable run game

It is no secret for anyone who followed the Buffalo Bills and their 2020 season that running the football with consistency was an issue.

Finishing the regular season ranked 20th in the league for rushing yards per game with 107.7 and 11th out of 14 in the postseason with 85.7 yards emphasizes the issue.

There are two main reasons why the run game failed to meet expectations; offensive line and running back play are to blame.

For the majority of the 2020 season, the Bills offensive line varied from week to week. It all started in the offseason when guard Jon Feliciano suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Things would only snowball for the Bills with center Mitch Morse missing time due to a concussion. Cody Ford was to follow as he suffered a torn meniscus in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Chargers. Given the lack of stability with players coming back and heading to IR, the Bills were never quite sure how the line was going to look week-to-week.

On the other side of the blame, the Bills simply did not get enough of the Singletary-Moss duo that was projected to be a powerhouse in 2020.

Rushing for a joint 1,168 yards (687 for Singletary and 481 for Moss) their productivity was not there compared to Derrick Henry who single-handily ran for 2,000 yards. This inability to run the ball effectively showed detrimental to their success against the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card all the way up to the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Entering the offseason now, the Bills will have to take a look at both units to see where they went wrong and how to fix it.

As Mitch Morse’s fifth documented concussion now in the rear-view mirror, the team may want to move on from him; freeing up a position to address in the draft. With Singletary coming off a less than impressive season, perhaps management looks to make Moss the featured back which could make Singletary on the move.

Whatever the Bills decide to do in the offseason, the goal of effectively running the football in January must remain on their mind.

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