3 things the Bills need to fix before the playoffs

The Buffalo Bills have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the last few years, but this season may be the best chance they've had to reach the Super Bowl since famously losing four straight title games in the early 1990s.

In fact, after taking a 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, the Bills are actually now the betting favorite to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans this February, going off at +425 at DraftKings with the Lions and Philadelphia Eagles tied for second at +475.

That said, Buffalo still needs the Kansas City Chiefs, who are getting +600 odds despite being 13-1, to lose at least two of their final three games to have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

And that's entirely possible, as the two-time defending champs still have remaining dates with the AFC South-leading Houston Texans, the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Denver Broncos, a team they barely survived in Week 10 and is fighting for position in the wild-card race. Throw in Patrick Mahomes' ankle injury, and the slate looks even more demanding.

The Bills, meanwhile, have one of the easiest remaining schedules over the final three weeks of the regular season, facing the New England Patriots this Sunday, the New York Jets in Week 17, and then the Patriots again in Week 18.

But even if the Bills don't earn the top seed, they're obviously going to be a tough out during the postseason, no matter where the game is contested. However, this team is far from perfect.

While likely NFL MVP Josh Allen is playing out of his mind these days and always gives Buffalo a chance to win, there are some concerns that need to be addressed.

Buffalo could give James Cook and Ray Davis a few more touches

It's hard to criticize anything the Bills are doing offensively right now, as Allen & Co. have put up 30 or more points in eight consecutive games and have averaged a ridiculous 41.7 points in the three games since their bye week.

Given the level at which he's been playing, it's hard to imagine Allen having an off day throwing the football at this point. But it could undoubtedly happen, especially against some of the elite defenses they could run into during the playoffs.

And if it does, the running game will have to pick up the slack. Allen is obviously a big part of this aspect of the offense as well, but head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady might need to worry about literally running their franchise quarterback ragged.

In the Bills' loss to the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago, James Cook only carried the ball six times. And Ray Davis, who'd run for 63 yards and a touchdown the week before against the San Francisco 49ers, didn't carry the ball at all. Allen, meanwhile, had 10 carries.

The balance was far better against the Lions, as Cook logged 14 carries, with Davis getting seven. Allen was still in the mix with 11, and it's good that he wasn't the primary rusher, as it forces defenses to put some of their focus elsewhere.

And just from an overall standpoint, the Bills simply need to run the ball more to control the clock because having opposing offenses on the field isn't a good thing for this team right now.

The Bills' defense has been atrocious in recent weeks

The biggest problem Buffalo has right now is easily on the defensive side of the ball. And it really doesn't matter if it's against the run or if it's against the pass, as Bobby Babiach's unit hasn't been able to stop anything over the last couple of weeks.

Granted, the Bills have had several defensive players dealing with injuries. But even so, things are starting to spiral out of control.

In the loss to the Rams, Buffalo allowed 44 points and 457 total yards of offense, 320 through the air and 137 on the ground. And this past week against the Lions, the Bills another 42 points and allowed a season-worst 521 yards, 473 through the air and 48 on the ground.

Don't let that last number fool you. Giving up just 48 rushing yards to the Lions might look impressive, but it must be noted that Detroit only ran the ball 15 times.

Prior to these two games, the Bills have been able to offset some of the damage done in terms of yardage by generating turnovers and getting stops in the red zone. But in the last two weeks, that hasn't been the case, as Buffalo has recorded just one takeaway and obviously hasn't been able to keep the opposing offense out of the end zone.

The Rams have already proven that the Bills can be beaten in a shootout. But while Allen and the offense will likely continue putting plenty of points on the board, there's always that chance that they don't. And if that's the case, Buffalo could be in big trouble if the defense doesn't shape up soon.

The overall reliability of Tyler Bass is still concerning

If the Bills find themselves in a close game in the postseason, just as they did against the Chiefs a season ago, Tyler Bass will be called upon to hit a big kick. And as Bills Mafia knows, that didn't go so well this past January.

So, there naturally has to be some concern that Bass is having the worst statistical season of his career. To his credit, the fifth-year veteran fought back from some early-season struggles, which nearly got him benched, and has made some big kicks for the Bills.

That said, however, Bass has hit just 80.8% of his field-goal attempts, which ranks 25th in the league among kickers with at least 10 tries, and has connected on 92.6% of his extra-point attempts, ranking 27th.

While he hit a 50-yarder and a 41-yarder this past week against Detroit, Bass missed a 24-yard chip shot, the shortest miss for any kicker in the league this season. And that was in a dome. The conditions obviously won't be as ideal in Orchard Park or Kansas City come mid-to-late January, so there has to be a level of uncomfortableness and uncertainty at this point.