3 massive questions facing the Buffalo Bills for the 2024 NFL season

The Buffalo Bills were one of the strangest teams in the NFL last season.

They have been labeled Super Bowl contenders heading into 2023, but have gone just 6-6 through their first 12 games. It looked like they might miss the playoffs altogether, but the Bills responded by reeling off five straight wins to close out the season and capture the improbable AFC East title. Buffalo then dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs before losing a heartbreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Now, the Bills find themselves in no-man’s land heading into 2024. They’ve lost a lot of pieces this offseason, and while some feel they’re still legitimate championship contenders, others feel that ‘They will fail to qualify for the playoffs.

Buffalo has a lot of questions to answer as the season approaches. Here are three of the biggest challenges the team faces.

Who will be the No. 1 receiver?

The Bills subtracted Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis this offseason, so their two best receivers of recent years are gone.

Buffalo signed Curtis Samuel in free agency and selected Keon Coleman in the second round of the NFL Draft, and they will compete with Khalil Shakir for the No. 1 receiver role.

In the long run, Coleman plans to be the best. However, he is only a beginner, so it may take him a little time to find his feet.

Shakir is really more of a slot receiver, but he showed promise with 39 catches for 611 yards and two touchdowns last season and obviously has more of a rapport with Josh Allen than Samuel or Coleman. He could very well represent Allen’s favorite target from the start.

Allen may have to distribute the wealth for much of 2024 and see who ultimately emerges. He also has a pair of good tight ends in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, which could make him more comfortable with not having a “true” No. 1 receiver. At least at the start of the season.

How will Josh Allen cope without Stefon Diggs?

Allen took over as the Bills’ starting quarterback in 2019, and the following year he had Diggs at his disposal. Over the past four seasons, Allen and Diggs have formed one of the deadliest relationships in the NFL, and between 2020 and 2022, Allen has thrown 35 or more touchdowns in each campaign.

But how will Allen fare without Diggs?

Allen is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in football, and rightly so. However, he hasn’t been great in 2023. Yes, he’s racked up 44 total touchdowns between passing and rushing, but he’s also thrown 18 interceptions and committed 22 total turnovers.

It was the first time since 2019 that Allen did not total at least 30 touchdown passes, and from November to January he had 12 passing touchdowns and 10 picks.

Not enough has been said about Allen’s rather lackluster performance last season, and it just so happened to coincide with a rather pedestrian campaign from Diggs (at least after Week 6).

Is Allen good enough to elevate the offense on his own? Or does he need an elite receiver to help him? We are about to find out.

Is Sean McDermott in the hot seat?

When you look at Sean McDermott’s resume, it immediately seems impressive.

In seven years as Buffalo’s head coach, McDermott went 78-47 (including the playoffs). He won four straight AFC East division crowns. He only had one losing season.

But when you take into account the talent the Bills have had on their roster in recent years, you start to wonder if McDermott is actually doing a good job.

A legitimate argument can be made that Buffalo has actually regressed over the past few seasons. The Bills reached the AFC Championship Game during the 2020-21 campaign, but since then have not advanced past the divisional round.

Of course, it doesn’t help that they keep coming up against the Chiefs in the playoffs, but they were also slammed by the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round – at home – two years ago.

At some point, Buffalo will have to make progress, something they haven’t really done in recent years. Aside from the team’s fall behind last season, 2023 could be considered a huge disappointment.

If the Bills are unable to make any noise in 2024, this could very well represent McDermott’s final year at the helm.