5 ways the Buffalo Bills can get their offense back to elite status

After another poor offensive performance to start a game, the Buffalo Bills are left wondering once again, what happened. I have a few ideas of my own but let's get something clear, I'm not an offensive coordinator and have never coached above youth football. But still, I like to think I know the game somewhat.

This is three consecutive games now where the Bills offense has struggled to get going in the first half. I'm not sure what changed from weeks two through five and the last three, but the offense looks out of sync and continues to shoot themselves in the foot. Be it penalties, dropped passes or turnovers, they just can't seem to get out of their own way until the second half.

My suggestions here aren't necessarily the absolute solution either. And quite honestly, maybe it's not even needed. We've seen this offense be explosive and dominant but for whatever reason, right now, it's anything but. That said, I think some changes are needed, and here is why. last season, we saw this very same thing. The issue I believe, is defenses quickly catch up with what the Bills are doing, plus there is one thing the Bills are doing that drives me nuts and needs to stop because he prevents chemistry and rhythm.

Bills offense needs to go through Stefon Diggs and Dalton Kincaid

There is no question that Stefon Diggs is one of the best wide receivers in the league and I don't think anyone will question that. It's clear that Josh Allen and the Bills want to make him the focal point of the offense, which is fine, but he needs a counterpart. Batman needed Robin and they both needed Alfred (Josh Allen).

Who should be Diggs Robin you ask, that's easy. The answer is Dalton Kincaid. We finally saw him get a significant number of the targets, receiving eight against the Patriots. He turned those targets into eight receptions for 75 yards. Kincaid is already third on the team in yards with 193, behind Gabe Davis' 347 and Diggs team leading 678.

If the Bills run the passing game through Diggs and Kincaid, it should help open up the big plays down the field for Gabe Davis, who seems to disappear at times. For example, Davis received five targets against the Patriots but turned that into just one catch for six yards.

Open the offense and incorporate a no-huddle attack

Look, I'm not saying to run a no-huddle attack all game long. I understand the risk you take with your defense when doing this but if the team comes out in the opening drive and immediately puts pressure on the opposing defense, it should get the defense quickly on their heels and you set the tone.

We've seen Josh Allen be absolutely lights out when in the two-minute drill. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league when in these situations and the Bills have scored more often than not. Last season, the Bills were one of the top-scoring teams in the final minutes of the first half too, which is a testament to Allen's comfort and ability in this style of offense.

I'm also not saying this is how they should operate on offense throughout the entire game but at moments, come out and start firing. We saw how the offense was able to put pressure on the Miami Dolphins offense to keep up and they started making mistakes that the defense took advantage of. I think if the Bills come out firing in a no-huddle, that would have the same effect.

The Bills need to utilize Josh Allen's legs once again

I'm not sure why the Bills have completely removed Josh Allen's rushing ability from their arsenal. There is no question that Allen running can be a game-changing option but inexplicably, the offense has gotten away from this. Since coming into the league in 2018, Allen has become one of the most feared rushing quarterbacks in the NFL, but defenses are quickly figuring out he's not going to run.

I'm not referring to just scrambling or designed runs because he's doing neither now. There have been multiple opportunities for him to run on pass plays that would have resulted in first downs and kept drives alive but he's not doing that anymore. I can't remember the last the Bills called for a Josh Allen run that wasn't a quarterback sneak. Allen's running on both scrambles and designed runs must be implemented back into the offense, just one more thing for defenses to prepare for. Plus, defenses will need to dedicate a spy on him, which takes a player out of coverage and out of the pass rush.

Utilize Khalil Shakir in the passing game

I mentioned this multiple times in previous articles, as well as my podcast. I know Khalil Shakir better than most, having watched every one of his collegiate games at Boise State. I live in the Boise area and followed his career since he came to Boise. The kid can play and needs to be given the opportunity to be the every-down slot receiver. The Bills' desire to rotate certain positions is beyond frustrating.

His snap share has increased each week since the start of the season, which is due to him becoming an elite blocker. This was a big question for him a season ago and why he was never able to get on the field with any consistency. Well, he's turned that part of his game from a liability to a strength, now reward him with more targets.

Against the Patriots, he was targeted four times, and he turned all four into receptions. The more he is on the field, the better he will become, and more importantly, the more Allen will trust him in the offense and build that all-important chemistry.

The Bills need to get back to 11-personnel

When the Buffalo Bills selected Dalton Kincaid in the first round, I knew the team wanted to incorporate more 12-personnel (two tight end sets) but while it seemed to work pretty well initially, it seems defenses have caught up to what the Bills were doing. Part of that might be due to the inconsistencies of Dawson Knox.

At this point, I think I've seen enough of Knox and much prefer Dalton Kincaid in the 11-personnel sets. This formation gets Diggs, Davis, and Shakir on the field together, with Kincaid. Then you have James Cook in the backfield, and I think the Bills can be explosive when coupled with a no-huddle attack and run the passing game through Diggs and Kincaid. This opens up everything for the rest of the offense as great complimentary pieces.

I don't think they should eliminate the 12-personnel altogether, as it gives defenses something to have to prepare for each week, even if it's not used as often. just make the three-wide sets the base formation the Bills work out of. Maybe these ideas don't work but from what I've seen so far this season, I think it would get things rolling and make this Bills offense elite once again.

More Buffalo Bills content from BuffaLowDown