Buffalo Bills v New England Patriots | Maddie Meyer/GettyImages
The Buffalo Bills offense has been one of the best units in the league this year and has shown no signs of slowing down. For the first time in the Josh Allen era, the offense is still putting up points even without him doing well in some games. Going up against the New England Patriots this week should be no different, and we should see another dominant performance from this unit. So who will the Bills need to rely on to make sure they do blow out the Patriots? Let’s take a look at several players on the offensive side of the ball.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper
Why Amari Cooper when the Bills offense has been efficient without targeting him? Well, even when he’s used for more than just a decoy, the Bills offense has put up 40+ points, and I’ll use the Los Angeles Rams game as an example. Cooper caught six receptions for 95 yards on 14 targets. Josh Allen threw for 342 yards and three touchdowns in that game, and it was arguably his most efficient game of the season. If the Bills can get him going early in this game, it will not only open up more in the passing game, but we’ll see what this offense is capable of with Cooper at his best.
Running back Ty Johnson
The offense has been more explosive when Ty Johnson is catching passes out of the backfield. In the last two games, Johnson has caught seven receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown. With the aforementioned Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman on the field, that has left Johnson one on one with a linebacker in coverage, and the Bills have been able to exploit that recently. Johnson has more than earned the uptick in snaps that he’s been receiving, and that’s boosted this offense to another level. Between Jahlani Tavai and Christian Elliss, the Patriots have bigger linebackers that don’t do well in coverage, so we could see another big day from Johnson on Sunday.
Tight end Dawson Knox
Dawson Knox has been a reliable target for Josh Allen all throughout the season, even with Dalton Kincaid on the field. Despite his low numbers, 285 yards, and one touchdown, Knox has caught everything that has been thrown his way. If one of the bigger targets, specifically Keon Coleman or Amari Cooper, isn’t open, the ball has been finding its way to Knox for the last several weeks. Allen has found Knox for catches of 23, 39, 24, and 34 yards in each of the last five games, and it’s looking like the Bills are finally figuring out where he fits in this offense again. If this keeps up, Allen has yet another target to rely on come playoff time.
