“The Athletic Football Show” is previewing all 32 teams leading up to the start of the 2026 NFL season. Below are select quotes from the show’s preview of the Buffalo Bills. The quotes are edited for clarity. You can watch the whole preview on YouTube and in the embedded video below, or listen to the full AFC East preview wherever you get your podcasts.Derrik Klassen on what about the Bills most excites him: The only real addition on the offense, which is D.J. Moore. I think this has a chance to be the best blend of the two Josh Allens we’ve seen. From 2020 to 2023, when he had Stefon Diggs, this was a chuck-it-up offense. He threw the ball 590 times per season over that stretch. Part of that was they couldn’t run the ball very well, so of course they kind of had to.The last two seasons, without a star receiver, they’ve leaned more into the run game, and he’s only thrown 470 times (per year). It’s been a lot more of them trying to put the limiter on this offense and see how that goes. I think that this is kind of the blend between the two, because Moore is not as good as Diggs (was when he was in Buffalo), but he’s significantly better than the guys that they’ve had since then.
Robert Mays on what he’s watching the first month of the season: The defensive line is the most interesting part of this to me, just because they’ve sought out body types for a very specific type of defense for a really long time. The defensive interior defensive lineman, I do think (Jim Leonhard’s system) fits those guys. I think them playing in more of a slanting, attacking style is probably good for this run defense overall. That was the worst part of this entire team last year. They were bottom five in EPA per carry, and 29 percent of opponent runs went for first downs. It was the second-worst mark in the league per Next Gen, behind only the Cowboys. They allowed 65 runs of 10-plus yards. Only the Giants were worse.They went from playing 80 percent four-man fronts in 2024 to about 61 percent last year, but those five-man fronts are all just one linebacker walked up to the line of scrimmage. There’s not a lot of variety involved in that. I think there’s going to be a ton more front variation with this group. And I think that the group and scheme are going to feel more dynamic.Dave Helman on what’s keeping him up at night: My favorite Bob Marley song is called “Waiting in Vain.” And I just don’t want to wait in vain for Dalton Kincaid to break out. I don’t want to wait in vain for Dalton Kincaid’s love. I’m worried about it. He’s clearly an explosive, efficient player. When he was on the field last year, he was third in the league in yards per route run among everybody. Only Puka and JSN were better than him. He was fourth in EPA per target, third in yards per target, fourth in first downs per route run, second in EPA per route run when in 11 personnel. Pick the stat, and it’s awesome. He just wasn’t on the field that much.Injuries have been a thing for him, but the scary thing is, it’s not even just about him missing games. When Dalton Kincaid is healthy, you’re still talking about a guy who plays only 55 percent of the Bills’ snaps. And to be drafted 25th overall and be the first tight end off the board, that’s not nearly good enough for what I was hoping Kincaid could be.Subscribe to “The Athletic Football Show” on YouTube.
