Matchups to watch for the Bills in Wild Card Weekend
FPI chance to make Super Bowl: 23%
Reason for hope: Quarterback Josh Allen took a step back in some areas this season, throwing a league-high 12 interceptions after Week 8. And although they were not always his fault, Allen absorbed contact on 24.6% of his plays, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. Still, Allen remains one of a handful of players in the field who can take over a playoff game, whether it be with his arm strength or running ability. And this season, the Bills relied on him more than ever. He set a career high in rushing yards and attempts. The Bills are the Josh Allen show, and that’s not a terrible place to be.
Reason for concern: While they had two signature wins this season — in Week 5 over the Chiefs and in Week 16 over the Patriots — the Bills largely feasted this season on inferior quarterbacks. If anything, as FiveThirtyEight.com pointed out, they underperformed based on their schedule this season. Six of their victories came against teams that were using a backup quarterback; and against the five best quarterbacks they faced in 2021, the Bills went 2-3. It stands to reason that you’re much more likely to face the latter than the former in the playoffs. In other words, the Bills won the AFC East and they will host a home playoff game without us really understanding how good they are (or aren’t)._
X factor: Micah Hyde, S. Throughout his nine-year career, Hyde has been one of those players who is always around the ball. Those instincts paid off in 2021 as much as they ever have. He intercepted a career-high five passes, returning one of them for a touchdown, and tied a career high with two fumble recoveries. In a close playoff game, Hyde’s ball hawking could be crucial.
First-game outlook: vs. Patriots (8:15 p.m. ET Saturday, Jan. 15, on CBS). The Bills and Patriots had a weird season series. The Patriots won on a windy night in Buffalo after asking quarterback Mac Jones to throw only three passes, while the Bills trounced the Patriots on the road in Week 16. In either case, the Bills were not hurt at all by Jones and the Patriots’ passing offense this season.
