Bills 2021 season preview: 3 bold predictions ahead of the new campaign

The Buffalo Bills have arrived as serious players in the AFC. After 2020 where they went 13-3, the expectation is a Super Bowl win. Sean McDermott is one of the most respected coaches in the NFL. He's responsible for turning the Bills into who they are, alongside general manager Brandon Beane.

The Bills have drafted well and managed to trade for big-time players. Josh Allen was the runner-up to MVP Patrick Mahomes a year ago. In the end, the Bills came up short in the AFC championship game. Here are three bold predictions for the Bills season.

3 bold predictions for the Buffalo Bills season

# 1 - Josh Allen wins MVP

Who were the most accurate QBs in ideal conditions?On-Target% leaders without pressure1. Josh Allen - 86.1%*2. Russell Wilson - 85.9%3. Teddy Bridgewater - 85.3%*Allen ranked last in 2019 (76.8%) pic.twitter.com/q7Ac9s7kQg

— Sports Info Solutions - Football (@football_sis) September 3, 2021

Mahomes is expected to have a monstrous season that might see him repeat himself as MVP. But Allen wasn't that far off from Mahomes in 2020 and is only getting better. Allen's biggest knock as a rookie was that he had a cannon of an arm but lacked touch.

Last year we saw a touch in the short and medium pass game. We also saw his deep accuracy to Stefon Diggs, who caught eight of Allen's 37 touchdowns. Allen completed 69.2 percent of his passes and had another offseason to get more comfortable with his offensive system.

Allen was third in passing yards a year ago and has another new weapon in Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders caught 74.4 percent of his targets in 2020 and is as reliable of a number two receiver as you can find in the NFL. Allen has the perfect setup around him and all the talent in the world. Mahomes will win many more MVPs in his career, but Allen will be victorious in 2021.

# 2 - Stefon Diggs wins offensive player of the year

#NFL four players were targeted at least 10 times per game in 2020: Davante Adams 10.6 targets per game), Keenan Allen (10.5) Stefon Diggs (10.4) and DeAndre Hopkins (10.0) pic.twitter.com/J9GQwhLogj

— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) September 1, 2021

This prediction is as bold as it gets. Diggs, who had 1,535 yards last year, will win offensive player of the year. Diggs was targeted an astounding 166 times and caught 127 of those passes. Diggs was Allen's go-to target. Considering Allen's been predicted to win MVP, Diggs would likely be a huge reason why.

Diggs is only 27 and is in his prime physically. His speed's hard to keep up with, and he's one of the best at yards after the catch. Diggs's hands are his most impressive trait. He's capable of making tough catches in the toughest of coverages.

The competition for this award will be stiff. It is always one of the hardest awards to win. But Diggs has all the physical tools possible and is another year more familiar with Allen and the offense.

# 3 - Bills finish with top ten in sacks

The final bold prediction surrounds the Bills defensive line. In 2020, they were in the middle of the pack in sacks at 38. Their defensive linemen didn't generate as much pressure as the Bills had hoped. In response, they ran a lot of blitzes to make up for it.

That said, talent is there on the defensive line to take the next step. Greg Rousseau had a great preseason with two sacks. He was a first-round pick and is a good size at 6 ' 6", 260 pounds.

AJ Epenesa and Ed Oliver are other reasons to believe the Bills' pass rush will be better. Epenesa was their first-round pick last year but didn't live up to expectations. He made up for it with a good showing in the preseason. Oliver has also failed to meet expectations thus far, but is only turning 24 this season. All three players are too young to give up on.

If Epenesa, Rousseau and Oliver live up to their draft stock, the Bills defensive line will be good. The secondary is still the strength of the defense. But it's thinner than it was a year ago. The Bills hope to rely less on the blitz this season. If they can, their linebackers will be able to help with coverage. Ultimately, the deciding factor on how far the Bills will go in the postseason is their defense.