With Week 12 officially over, the Buffalo Bills still have some time to rest and have players get healthy for their big Week 13 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
The (7-4) Bills have lost two of their last three games and need to get back to their winning ways to stay in the two-way AFC East race with the (10-2) New England Patriots. With the extra days of preparation, let's hope the offensive line and these three key players will be energized and ready to win against a quality opponent.
What offensive line and three vital players need to bring to the table to be able to take charge of this game
1. Offensive line
What has generally been a stable group with a ton of continuity has had some rough patches, with the Bills starting five on their offensive line. Their inconsistency in protecting in the passing game has, in general, led to receivers not getting open on the play, forcing their MVP quarterback to put on the Superman cape a little more than usual.
A positive is that these starting five offensive linemen have also been credited with the Bills' No. 1 rushing offense, led by superstar running back James Cook. Some may not like the Bills' chew-up time on the clock offense, but when you have one of the best young running backs in the NFL, and you only run three wideouts most of the game, you have to play to your strengths while continuing to either improve or work on your weaknesses.
2. QB - Josh Allen
To be fair with the QB's assessment, he still earns more glory than blame. Josh Allen may not be having the year he'd tell you he'd like to have, but he'd take responsibility for some of it. He also would say the sky isn't falling in his career either.
It's not rocket science to say that since 2018, Allen has been taking the NFL and the Buffalo Bills organization by storm with his reckless abandon and tough style of play. He has one of the strongest arms among NFL quarterbacks in modern-day history and isn't afraid to win a huge game, taking off and running.
This year has been a roller coaster for the reigning MVP, and most of it is due to receivers not getting open and having nobody on the offensive line blocking for him. This has led him to take more punishment than he had ever taken in his seven-year, going on eight-year career.
Last Thursday wasn't any different, as Allen was sacked eight times and couldn't find any other receivers besides Khalil Shakir open to pass to.
3. WR's - Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore
While not everybody on the receiving core isn't getting open in the offense, i.e., Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid (when healthy), other players like Joshua Palmer and Moore need to get into the act and put on their own shows.
When the Bills signed Palmer to a 3-year, $36 million deal, they thought they were getting a bargain No. 1 wide receiver. But he hasn't been consistent.
Since he's been with the Bills, he's shown flashes of that at the beginning of the season, but in the last three games, he's had a tough time getting involved in this offense. We all know that in this offense, of "Everybody Eats", Palmer has been starving to get the ball more consistently.
As for Elijah Moore, he was signed as a deep-threat wide receiver with breakaway speed, capable of blowing the top off a defense. But inconsistent hands and his inability to hold onto the ball during one of OC Joe Brady's bizarre fourth-and-short end-around calls have put him into Brady's doghouse, and he hasn't gotten out of it since.
While both are solid players and do extraordinary things, it looks like this base scheme of three wide receivers and one tight end isn't working with the group they have now catching the ball. It will be up to Brady to work with his players to develop a new plan.