Bills' Super Bowl Hopes Hinge On 1 Critical Position
Bills' Super Bowl Hopes Hinge On 1 Critical Position originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Buffalo Bills are seen as a genuine Super Bowl contender with a roster that has few holes after a positive offseason for general manager Brandon Beane.
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Additions on both sides of the ball, especially defensively, where the biggest concerns were, will give the Bills, as they enter training camp, a sense of confidence in their current roster.
Seen as a shoo-in for the AFC East and having a genuine shot at the No. 1 seed, this feels like Buffalo's best chance at claiming its first Super Bowl trophy.
But as Fox Sports' Henry McKenna explains, that can only happen if one key position group plays to the standards it did last season.
"The offense ran as much around its big guys as it did around Allen," McKenna writes. "Buffalo's MVP QB made plenty of explosive plays (and made up for his lack of explosive playmakers), but it was the offensive linemen clearing a path for the ground game that really made this offense hum. That's probably why Cook's contract standoff isn't going well.
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"The Bills think they can replicate their success with a different back. But if the big guys fail to win with the same authority in the trenches, then this offense loses what it does best. And I'm not sure the Bills have enough firepower in the passing game to make up for it."
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) dives for a first down against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half in the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Bills averaged a crisp 136.7 rushing yards per game with James Cook as the lead horse, and that allowed the receivers to get some advantageous matchups downfield.
But if the offensive line, which only allowed 14 sacks last season, can't open up those running lanes or protect Allen as well as it did last year, Buffalo could run into trouble.
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Of course, there's nothing to suggest that will happen, but it does feel like while a lot rests on Allen's shoulders, just as much rests on his offensive line's, too.
If they can replicate last season, Buffalo will be in with a great shot at hoisting that first-ever Lombardi trophy.
Related: Bills MVP Josh Allen Looking To Improve in One Tricky Area
Related: Bills' Super Bowl Pressure Meter Reading High In 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
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