NFL: Buffalo Bills will be in the playoffs in 2014 if…

If: The team’s young as well as new faces on offense, especially when it comes to the passing game, come together sooner than later.

This past season, the Bills totaled a respectable 339 points, an average of 21.2 per contest. However, the club’s offensive unit totaled just 31 touchdowns, including only 16 through the air. Keep in mind that New Orleans Saints star tight end Jimmy Graham caught 16 touchdown passes in 2013.

Quarterback EJ Manuel hopes to be on the field a lot more in his second season than he was as a rookie. The 16th overall pick in last year’s drafted was injured in October and started only 10 games, throwing 11 touchdown passes while committing a dozen turnovers. The former Florida State Seminole figures to benefit from an upgraded receiving corps that includes 2014 first-round draft choice Sammy Watkins and veteran Mike Williams, the latter acquired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via trade.

This pair, along with the continued development of promising second-year players such as Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin, bodes well for Manuel and company. The team felt good enough at wide receiver to deal the likes of Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, the NFL’s second-ranked ground attack from 2013 got a little better this offseason with the addition of Bryce Brown, dealt to the Bills by the Philadelphia Eagles. He joins an already-speedy backfield that includes running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, both which totaled 200-plus carries last season while combining for 1,823 of the team’s 2,307 rushing yards.