PREMIUM CONTENT

5 unbelievable stats through 5 games of Bills’ 2022 season

GregVorse
10/12/2022
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The Buffalo Bills did exactly what they should have in Week 5 and smashed a lesser opponent in a 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. The win moves Buffalo to 4-1 on the year and adds some more amazing stats to the ledger for the Bills. Before we turn the page to the Chiefs in Week 6, here are five more “would you believe me if I said…” stats from the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills.

Would You Believe Me If I Said… the Bills’ offensive efficiency was darn near historic against the Steelers?

The Bills averaged 10.22 yards per play in their 35-point home win over Pittsburgh. The 10.22 number is the sixth most in pro football history. The most in the NFL since the Chiefs put up 10.3 yards per play in 2017. Before that KC team, you have to go back to the 1972 Jets, who averaged 10.61 yards per play. Those 10.61 yards are the most in NFL history. Buffalo took its foot off the game in the fourth quarter playing Case Keenum in mop-up duty. Before the backups came in, Buffalo was on pace to average near 11 yards per play which would have set a new standard by almost half a yard per play. They didn’t get the top spot, but it doesn’t change the fact that this performance was awesome.

Would You Believe Me If I Said… Gabe Davis also joined rare air on Sunday?

Davis’ three catches don’t pop off the page when you open your favorite spots app, but what he did with those three receptions should make you go and acquire him in fantasy football. The UCF product hauled in a pair of touchdowns that went for 98 and 62 yards, respectively. Those two scores over 60 yards make him the third human in Bills’ history to bring in a pair of scores that paced over 180 feet in the same game. Davis now has eight touchdowns in his last six games, including at least one trip to paydirt in four of them.

Would You Believe Me If I Said… dudes not name Josh Allen can score?

Heading into the fourth quarter…of week five! Josh Allen had thrown or run for all of the Bills’ 16 offensive touchdowns. The seventh overall pick in 2018 had thrown all 14 of Buffalo’s passing touchdowns and accounted for both of the team’s rushing scores. It wasn’t until James Cook got loose in the fourth against the Steelers that Buffalo scored a touchdown, and the ball wasn’t in Allen’s hands or launched from Allen’s hands. There are a lot of stats to explain why he deserves to win the MVP, but this may be my new favorite.

Would You Believe Me If I Said… despite a loss, the Bills are doing things undefeated teams haven’t?

The Bills are currently a league-best +91 in point differential. That is +18.2 points per game through five games and a pace of 309.4 over a 17-game season. If that number sounds incredible…it is! The record for the largest point differential in a season is 315 by the 2007 New England Patriots. The ones led by Tom Brady and Randy Moss and who famously didn’t lose a game until the Super Bowl.

If the Bills kept up their pace and finished at +309 they would have the second-best point differential season in NFL history. There is one caveat to this stat. The 2021 Bills had a point differential of +105 before struggling in the middle of the season. That trip on the struggle bus saw Buffalo go 3-5 over their next eight games. Last year’s outcomes have zero bearing on this year’s, but it is a cautionary tale to not get too excited about this stat just yet.

Would You Believe Me If I Said… the Bills’ run blocking is really really really bad?

I like to have fun with these stats, but what the Bills are doing in run blocking is anything but entertaining. After five weeks of football, the only team that Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades lower than the Bills in run blocking is Cincinnati. The Bengals come in at 48.2 just ahead of Buffalo earning a nice, round 49.

What might be worse is when you evaluate the players on an individual basis. Heading into week six, Buffalo doesn’t have a single player ranked inside the top 100 in PFF offensive line run-blocking grades. Think about that for a minute. There are 32 teams, so on average, each should have three dudes within the top 96 with four slots remaining. The Bills’ top run blockers sit at 105 (Spencer Brown) and 106 (Ryan Bates). I understand the running backs haven’t been great in 2022, but even Christian McCaffrey would struggle behind this collection of talent.

Bonus: Jordan Poyer has missed 40% of the Bills’ games and his four interceptions still lead the NFL

Double Bonus: Josh Allen has 16 touchdowns this season or 3.2 TDs per game. The Broncos as a team have only scored six touchdowns. That’s QB vs. Franchise and makes me laugh a bit.

Buffalo bills | Gabe Davis | James Cook | Jordan Poyer | Josh Allen | Ryan Bates | spencer brown

GregVorse

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