While the summer season brings much enjoyment to the average person, for an NFL fan, it represents a desolate wasteland where Sundays just aren't quite as vibrant as in the autumn months. However, with each passing day, we inch closer to the beginning of the 2023 NFL season, which officially kicks off on September 7 this year. Whether you've had your favorite team's tweet notifications turned on all summer or if you've decided to tune out all football news entirely, you'll be able to learn everything you need to know about your team going into the 2023-24 season right here. In today's article, I'll be discussing the Buffalo Bills. I wrote a guidebook for every team in the NFL heading into the 2023 season. To check out an article for another team, click the link below: https://www.bucketsquadsportsreports.com/nfl 2022 Season Recap The Bills experienced lots of success in 2022, but despite spending much of the season as the suspected best team in the AFC, were unable to capitalize in the postseason. With a 13-3 record, Buffalo finished atop the AFC East but 2nd behind Kansas City in the AFC standings. They were unfortunately penalized by the cancellation of their Week 17 game against Cincinnati, when Damar Hamlin was seriously injured and rushed to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Fortunately, Hamlin is alive and well. But if that game had been played out and the Bills had won, the route to Super Bowl 57 would have run through Buffalo. Buffalo struggled in their first playoff game and snuck past the Dolphins in the wild card round by a score of 34-31. Their season was ended in their rematch with the Bengals in a rather one-sided game, putting a sour end to an otherwise very successful season. Buffalo was the 2nd best team in the NFL in both scoring offense and scoring defense. They were top 10 in offensive passing and rushing yards per game, as well as rushing yards allowed per game. Their only mediocre area was against the pass, as their secondary dealt with injuries for a lot of the year. Significant Roster Moves There wasn’t a ton of turnover within the roster over the offseason, which sets the Bills up for more success in 2023. Tremaine Edmunds and a couple members of the offensive line will be missed, but they should have no problem filling those gaps. Leonard Floyd will be the most impactful addition to the lineup, but most of the other guys on the list will surely make some kind of a difference as well. You’ll notice a lot of added depth to both the running back and receiver groups. 2023 Draft Class The Bills had six picks in the 2023 draft and used them to fill depth across the board. 1st round pick Dalton Kincaid has impressed over the summer and could be a formidable force at tight end paired with Dawson Knox. He and 5th round pick Justin Shorter are sure to see plenty of action in the pass happy Bills offense. O’Cyrus Torrence and Dorian Williams will likely see lots of playing time this season as well. Season Schedule The Bills will take on the AFC West and the NFC East in 2023 to go along with their six divisional games. Their other three opponents are the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Cincinnati Bengals. With an opponent prior season win percentage of .542, Buffalo has the 7th hardest schedule in the NFL. Buffalo’s primetime games include one Thursday night games versus Tampa Bay, two Sunday night games versus the New York Giants and at Cincinnati, and two Monday night games at the New York Jets and versus Denver. They also face Jacksonville in London in Week 5 and play on Saturday night in Week 16 against the LA Chargers. Depth Charts Offense Defense Special Teams The Bills return 18 of their 22 offensive and defensive starters from last year, which is more than most teams around the league. Both the offense and especially the defense will return at full strength in 2023. Just like 2022 turned out to be, it’s going to be Super Bowl or bust for Bills Mafia. Coaching Staff Head Coach Sean McDermott returns for his 7th season in Buffalo. However, unlike last season, McDermott will also act as Defensive Coordinator for the Bills after Leslie Frazier resigned in February. The other two coordinators will remain the same as last season: Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey (2ndseason) and Special Teams Coordinator Matthew Smiley (7th season). Betting Odds Oddsmakers have set the regular season win total for Buffalo at 10.5 games. As of right now, the Bills are the favorites to win the AFC East and the 2nd most likely team to win the AFC. At +900 to win Super Bowl LVIII, they are 3rd among all teams in the league. Bucket Squad Predictions Bucket Squad Sports Reports predicts the Bills to finish 12-5 and lose a 1st place tiebreaker with the Jets to end up 2nd in the AFC East and 5th in the conference. They will still secure a playoff spot with a great chance to compete for the Super Bowl.
What do you think? Will Buffalo be better or worse than I'm projecting? What offseason moves made by the Bills surprised you the most? Leave a comment down below and be sure to check the "NFL" section of the website for more NFL team guidebooks as I finish them. Written by Nick Swatson
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