The Buffalo Bills must find a way to go to the Super Bowl, and the 2024 season could be the most important in recent history.
With the franchise moving off some key players like Gabe Davis, Tre’Davious White, and Jordan Poyer, to name a few, the Bills need its elite players to perform at the peak of their profession if the Bills are going to get past Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
Josh Allen spent six seasons in Buffalo, the final four with Stefon Diggs as the team’s top wide receiver.
According to Pro Football Reference, Allen averaged 35 touchdowns (15 interceptions) and 4,518 passing yards per 17 games between 2020 and 2023. He’s also completed 65.5 percent of his throws, averaging 7.4 yards per attempt.
Allen, like many quarterbacks, experienced multiple growing pains throughout his first two years. But he certainly improved in his third season, and Diggs deserves credit for that. Diggs led the NFL with 127 catches and 1,535 yards that season, earning All-Pro honors.
Meanwhile, Allen threw for a career-high 37 touchdowns and 4,544 yards, leading Buffalo to the AFC Championship Game and finishing second in NFL MVP voting.
Since then, the two have had an excellent connection, leading the Bills to four consecutive AFC East crowns. Diggs has had at least 103 receptions, 1,183 yards, and eight touchdowns in each of his four seasons.
At their peak, Allen and Diggs are one of the NFL’s top quarterback/wide receiver combinations, and they have propelled the team into the Super Bowl contender conversation for four years in a row.
Allen and Diggs most likely improve each other in the end, and the Bills benefit as a result.
This could be the Bills’ last chance to win a title with their current core around Josh Allen, and signals of discontent from Stefon Diggs could be one of the main reasons Buffalo’s AFC East dominance isn’t assured to last.
Diggs and Allen have stated that any feud they had is behind them, but a couple of occurrences over the previous year have given fans reason to be doubtful.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon takes a shot at quarterback Josh Allen on social media, fueling speculation of a potential rift.
Since before last year’s training camp for the 2023 season, there have been rumors that Diggs and Allen may have a major issue that will hold the club back.
Just as the pressure on the Buffalo Bills increased following their divisional round loss to the Bengals to end the 2022 season, so did rumors of a rift between Diggs and Allen.
Diggs was recorded on camera ranting at Allen on the sideline during the loss, but his quarterback did not respond. Earlier in the game, Stefon Diggs indicated to Josh Allen to throw the ball higher. Diggs left the stadium unexpectedly mere minutes after the game.
Coach Sean McDermott dismissed the drama, telling reporters, “It hurts, and I wouldn’t want a guy that doesn’t hurt.”
The questions resurfaced in June, when McDermott excused Diggs from the Buffalo Bills minicamp. McDermott first indicated that Diggs departed on his own, saying he was “very concerned” about the receiver’s departure, but the coach later told reporters that he excused Diggs because both sides “needed a break.”
Both Diggs and Allen have said the right things in public, but Allen recently admitted on “The Rich Eisen Show” that he and his top receiver had some disagreements.
When asked if he had “a thing” with Diggs, Allen said, “There was.” Allen claims that the “thing” is now behind them, noting that they “hugged it out” following a communication breakdown early in the summer.
It’s evident that the Buffalo Bills will only go as far as Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen carry them, but on Tuesday night, the star wide receiver commented on a social media post, implying that his quarterback wouldn’t be as successful without him.
Stefon Diggs objected to a fan’s assertion that he was not critical to quarterback Josh Allen’s performance.
For background, ESPN commentator and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III said that Diggs was so important to Allen’s performance that the two kept the team’s title window open.
That wasn’t the uniform perspective, though, and Diggs responded to one person who disagreed.
This is the type of petty behavior that needs to end between the Buffalo Bills’ two top offensive players. If this situation continues, nothing positive will happen.
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