It’s no secret that it’s Super Bowl or bust for the Bills this year. Another AFC East title without a trip to the Super Bowl is a failure. That’s just where the Bills are at this point, but it’s the truth. Buffalo’s best path to getting to the Super Bowl will be by earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC and only having to win two games (both at home) to advance to that game.
So that ensures that every regular-season game will be critical as the Bills will likely need to win 12 or more games to lock up the No. 1 seed. And they’ll take on one of their biggest challengers in Week 1: the Baltimore Ravens. Buffalo finished with one more win during the 2024 season (13), and that allowed them to host the Ravens in Round 2, and that was a big reason why the Bills were able to advance to the AFC Championship Game.
Week 1 will be a tough challenge for the Bills, especially now that Khalil Shakir is dealing with a high-ankle injury. The initial prognosis is that Shakir will miss 4-5 weeks, which will put him right up to that game. Even if he plays, there is a good chance that he is far from 100 percent. There is a good chance that Shakir could miss multiple games, and it might be several months before he is fully healthy.
Keon Coleman now has his chance to be the guy for Josh Allen
That means the Bills will have to lean on Keon Coleman to be their de facto No. 1 receiver in that game and likely beyond. Of course, Shakir's injury opens the door for several possibilities, but Coleman now has the spotlight.
Coleman had an up-and-down rookie season, but he did show big-time upside. The same has been true during training camp as he has stacked together strong performances, but his overall inconsistency continues to hold him back.
But with more early-season targets likely headed his way, it’ll be an excellent chance for Coleman to show that he can be the No. 1 receiver in this offense. Buffalo is expected to move him around more frequently this year to get him some easier targets, but expect a majority of Coleman’s snaps to come on the outside.
If Coleman can prove that he can be a viable outside option in the passing game, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping this offense once Shakir returns to the lineup. Buffalo does have a bunch of other weapons in the passing game to help take some of the load off Coleman’s shoulders, but the Bills drafted him early because they believe he can be a difference-maker on the outside.
The preseason will be our first chance to see how Coleman has developed during the offseason and where he has improved. This is a big-time opportunity for the former Florida State star and all eyes will on him over the next month as he will be Josh Allen’s top target in arguably the biggest regular season game of the year for the Bills.