Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs have transformed the Bills offense

The Bills needed Josh Allen to take a big step forward in 2020. Trading for Stefon Diggs has allowed him to do just that. 

If the Bills are going to break the Patriots’ stranglehold on the AFC East this season they’ll need Josh Allen to lead their offense to new heights. Through two weeks, Buffalo’s young quarterback is leveraging the addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs to torment opposing secondaries.

Last week, Allen threw for over 300 yards for the first time in his professional career. This week, he took his game to another new level. He torched the Dolphins secondary for 417 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-28 victory. Instead of counting on Allen to simply manage the game, Buffalo’s coaching staff was able to trust him to win a game for them when the stakes were high against Miami.

It’s not fair to chalk up Allen’s increased production solely to his own individual improvement. He has looked much more confident on the young season, but he also has an important new weapon to work with. Through two games, the franchise’s decision to add Stefon Diggs in a big offseason trade with the Vikings looks like one of the best transactions of the offseason.

Diggs put on a show against Miami’s talented group of cornerbacks on Sunday. He only caught eight passes on the afternoon, bu the did a ton of damage with each reception. Racking up 153 yards receiving with a touchdown was a big reason why Buffalo managed to secure the narrow victory against their division rivals.

Admittedly, two games is not a big enough sample size to draw massive, lasting conclusions about the evolution of the Bills offense. Allen isn’t going to suddenly challenge the likes of Patrick Mahomes for the NFL lead in passing yards this season.

There is, however, enough data to support the idea that Buffalo’s offense now has an appreciably higher ceiling than they did before Diggs’ arrival. The speedy wide receiver’s ability to take the top off of opposing defenses is a great fit for Allen’s outstanding arm strength. Diggs also routinely draws safety attention on his deep routes. That opens up more room for the team’s other receivers to create separation against single coverage underneath.

Sterner tests loom in the distance for the Bills’ new-look offense, but this is clearly the best chance Buffalo has ever had to outscore opponents when they need to win a shootout. That makes this team more dangerous than ever before. The combination of Allen and Diggs might prove good enough to bring a division title to Buffalo.