A quarterbacks best friend is the receiver who doubles as a running back once the ball touches their hands. Yards after catch (YAC) is a statistic which measures the distance a receiver gains after catching a pass — and it's an important one.
The NFL is a copycat league and after seeing the Kansas City Chiefs win 3 Super Bowls in the past 5 seasons, teams are trying to replicate the Chiefs blueprint, particularly on offense.
While quarterback Patrick Mahomes is already one of the greatest players of all time, he's gotten some help from his pass catchers. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2018, Mahomes offense has lead the NFL in YAC four times. And in the two outlier seasons, they ranked second and third.
Future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce has been their primary YAC weapon, but the team drafted his contingency plan in 2023. As a rookie, wide receiver Rashee Rice ranked third league wide for YAC with 654 yards.
But how does this relate to the Bills?
It's hard to imagine the Bills aren't jealous of the Chiefs success, especially when you consider their 0-3 record versus the NFL's most recent dynasty in playoff games since 2020. As a result, the Bills have tried to emulate the Chiefs success and adding YAC is at the heart of this change.
In the same time frame (2018-2024), quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills have ranked top ten in passing four times, but they've never ranked in the top ten for YAC. However, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady's new philosophy and the team's 'Everybody Eats' mantra, the Bills are currently ranked tenth in the NFL with 1,435 YAC — and third with 6.6 YAC/completion.
All thanks to third-year receiver Khalil Shakir who's leading the way.
Not only does Shakir rank 4th in the league in YAC, despite playing less games than his predecessors, but his 460 YAC accounts for 76.79% of his 599 receiving yards this season. In an era where NFL defense's are keeping opposing offenses in front of them and rallying to make tackles, players like Shakir, who can break tackles and become a runner once the ball touches their hands, are integral to the success of modern-day passing offenses.
The most missed tackles forced on receptions this season:
— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) November 15, 2024
Khalil Shakir - 15 💨 pic.twitter.com/63YQrIfQEV
With the Bills implementing this new style, their offense has been more efficient than ever before. Allen hasn't been asked to act as Superman and his turnover rate is a far cry from previous seasons, having only thrown 5 interceptions through 11 games.
Sure, it's exciting to watch NFL quarterbacks, especially those as talented as Mahomes and Allen, use their strong arms to shred secondaries down the field, but in today's NFL, defense's have adjusted to the air raid offense and taking what they're willing to give you is an important trait for quarterbacks to possess — albeit a boring one.
Franchises can tumble when their unable to adjust to league trends, but it's clear that Buffalo's regime has made a concerted effort to stay ahead of their competition. Perhaps even more importantly, they haven't let their ego's stand in the way of making necessary changes that didn't align with their previous identity.
The Bills offense has four players ranked in the top 70 for YAC this season and I'd expect that standing to improve as they continue to rebuild their offense in the post Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis era.
According to Next Gen Stats passing chart, Josh Allen threw for 262 yards in the Bills Week 11 defeat of the Chiefs despite 30 of his 40 passing attempts being within ten air yards of the line of scrimmage and 13 of those being thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage.
So it's clear that Buffalo has taken a new approach to its passing offense this season and it's worked. They are more efficient than in year's past and at 9-2, they're enjoying their best start since 1992. Now, it's time for them to prove they can exercise their demons against the Master Jedi Chiefs in the postseason.