Bills offense chasing history behind Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs

Alaina Getzenberg, ESPNOct 5, 2023, 06:00 AM ET
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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills‘ season started with a mistake-filled overtime loss to the New York Jets where the offense scored just 16 points.

How things have changed. After the team’s 48-20 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4, the Bills have won three in a row and now have the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL (33 points per game) — making some history along the way.

“We’re putting more positive plays up than the negative plays, but four weeks ago has nothing to do with now,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “Just positive, man. Like, we hit the week with the mindset of winning the day, winning the play and as long as we focus on the now and not the future, we’re gonna be OK.”

Despite the subpar Week 1 performance, the Bills became just the sixth team to score at least 135 points and allow fewer than 60 points through the first four games of a season. The previous five teams to do it all went on to play in the Super Bowl. Quarterback Josh Allen is leading the offensive explosion with the team scoring 35 or more points in three straight games — one more would tie the franchise record set in 2004 and 2021.

Allen is now the favorite to win MVP, per Caesar’s Sportsbook (+400). after winning AFC Offensive Player of the Week in two of the past three weeks.

Allen’s favorite receiver has once again been Stefon Diggs, who has 31 receptions for 399 yards and four touchdowns. They’ll look to keep it going in London when they face a Jacksonville Jaguars defense (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) that ranks 22nd in passing yards per game allowed (238.3).

“Each week as you see Josh Allen, he adapts, he grows,” Diggs said. “As a receiver watching him, I’m up close and personal. I see his emotions. I see his plays. He’s a quarterback you want to play for. He gives you that energy, he gives you that belief.”

Second-year offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey cited Allen’s comfort in the offense as a change from Week 1.

“Regular-season football, it’s hard to simulate in practice and in preseason games at times, but it just felt like he felt more comfortable out there and I think that has a lot to do with it,” Dorsey said in September. “… I trust him an incredible amount to make decisions and if for some reason something bad does happen, I trust him to learn from it and bounce back and stay confident and keep making good decisions.”

Allen’s goal heading into the season was making better decisions after he led the league in turnovers (19) last year. He has one turnover since Week 2 (an interception vs. the Commanders) and the Bills are now 46-12 (79.3%) in starts where he has one or fewer turnovers. When he commits two or more turnovers, the record falls to 9-13 (40.9).

Beyond Diggs and Allen, the offense has done a good job maintaining balance through four games with 135 passing attempts to 119 rushes. Continuing that against the Jaguars could be a challenge with Jacksonville’s defense allowing 94.8 rushing yards per game — tied for the eighth-fewest.

Allen has completed a league-high 74.8% of his passes and is coming off the first game of his career where he had a perfect passer rating (158.3). He has never finished a season with higher than a 69.2 completion percentage (2020).

“[Allen’s] just playing the way he plays. He learned from the mistakes he made and he’s playing the ball that he knows how to play,” wide receiver Gabe Davis said.

The Diggs-Allen connection, which came under the microscope this offseason, was hot against the Dolphins with Diggs scoring three touchdowns. Only Eric Moulds (33) had more through the first four games of a season in team history.

He is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns (four) with Tyreek Hill and in three of four games he has gone over 100 yards receiving.

“Big-time players have big-time games in these type settings, right,” McDermott said of Allen and Diggs after the win over the Dolphins.

Allen, when asked on Wednesday if he’s surprised by anything Diggs does at this point, said, “It’s Stefon Diggs, man. He should’ve gotten Player of the Week. That’s all I’ll say.”