We continue our look through the AFC East prospective win totals by tuning our interoceters to the Buffalo Bills. The Bills finally added the quarterback in the draft they’ve desperately needed since the last two presidential administrations (maybe), but what difference will that make in 2018?
Buffalo shipped Tyrod Taylor off to the Cleveland Browns, then added former Cincinnati Bengals back up A.J. McCarron to their own quarterback room as the presumptive starter. The Bills made the playoffs last year thanks to a complete garbage AFC field, but no one is predicting a return trip. Here’s their odds from BetDsi Sportsbook.
Buffalo Bills 2018-19 Regular Season Win Total
Over 6 (+100)
Under 6 (-130)
With Taylor at QB, and the rest of the AFC all stumbling, bumbling and fumbling their way through the 2017-18 regular season, the Bills won nine games. So the first question you must ask yourself, is Buffalo better now, roster-wise, than they were last season?
Defensively? Absolutely. Tremaine Edmunds is a freak athlete and Day One starter. Buffalo also nabbed a starting caliber tackle in Harrison Phillips and are now completely loaded in the interior of their defensive line with him, Star Lotulelei, Adolphus Washington and Kyle Williams. Their defensive backfield is more than adequate, with Tre’Davious White preparing for his sophomore year in the NFL after a tremendous rookie campaign.
To: Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds.
Love: The best fans in the world. pic.twitter.com/N35cxakJ19
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 27, 2018
The Bills already had a good offensive line and LeSean McCoy remains one of the best running backs in the league. Kelvin Benjamin should be a better weapon after a full offseason with the team. Charles Clay is one of the more underrated tight ends in the league.
But you all know the real questions regarding the Buffalo offensive attack and we’ll tackle the least interesting one first; is Zay Jones going to play?
Zay Jones gonna line up wide butt naked with a helmet on Opening week SMACKED off angel dust
— WILD SPICY🔥 (@OhFuckYeahBud82) May 5, 2018
Jones didn’t exactly light the league on fire as a rookie last year, catching 27 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. But he was also hampered by poor passing play from his quarterback. (Yeah, we’ll get to that). Jones, of course, had a meltdown in a hotel after a nude altercation with his brother. He was never charged with anything and the team, according to head coach Sean McDermott, is satisfied with the outcome. We’ve never really found out what happened, if it was some weird drug interaction or something, but Jones publicly stated that he was “thankful to be alive” after it was all over.
While McDermott might be “satisfied,” that’s no guarantee the league is. Roger Goodell is a moron and could easily punish Jones for what amounted to a probable mental breakdown.
Here’s the question you really want answered; Is A.J. McCarron a better quarterback than Tyrod Taylor?
Does anyone outside of Cincinnati, Buffalo, and the mind of Hue Jackson think AJ McCarron is gonna be any good?
— Johnny Kinsley (@Brickwallblitz) May 7, 2018
Yes, but that doesn’t mean the Bills will win more games. Taylor and McCarron are both what I call “high end backups.” That means they shouldn’t be your starting quarterback, but they’re good enough to win off the bench if called into service. McCarron will play the standard position better than Taylor. He’ll run the offense and both Jones and Benjamin will have better statistical years. What McCarron can’t do is go off script the way Taylor can (which is why I like him as a back up to begin with). I don’t see nine wins happening.
I do see seven, though, so if I’m laying any cash down, I’m going with the over. Of course, that all goes to hell if rookie Josh Allen gets pulled out of the bullpen.
