2016: A Time For Bills Fans to Billieve

The Buffalo Bills have always found their names in the “In the Hunt” graphic late in the regular season, but never seem to be able to cross the finish line.

It’s been 16 long years for Bills fans to be able to tailgate for their beloved team in mid-January. As long as Tom Brady is the quarterback for the New England Patriots, it seems that a division title is out of the question. Buffalo is showing promise coming into 2016 and Football Outsiders has the Bills as the only team projected to put up a fight against the reigning division champs.

Let’s take a look and analyze some reasons why you should be confident in the 2016 Bills to end their dreaded playoff drought:

1.Buffalo’s Schedule – Even though the Bills have the 10th hardest schedule in the league, the team should still find ways to win. The Bills face all of its tough opponents at home in the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots, along with a primetime home opener against the hated New York Jets which should be a win. The tough road matchups consist of the Seattle Seahawks (who generally take a flop in the mid-regular season) and the Cincinnati Bengals (who lost two top wideouts). All in all, the Bills face pretty average teams on the road. If business is taken care of at home, and they can squeak out at least 4 wins on the road, a wild card spot could definitely be in their sights.

2.Defense should be back to its dominant force – Bills General Manager Doug Whaley stole the show at the 2016 NFL Draft by snagging two highly touted defensive prospects in Shaq Lawson and Reggie Ragland. The two will fill major voids in the defense and will make an immediate impact to help the team.

3.Tyrod to Sammy connection – With the Bills not selecting a high potential quarterback in the Draft, it’s time for fans to completely buy into Tyrod Taylor. The quarterback showed much skill connecting with his #1 receiver Sammy Watkins in the second half of the regular season. Watkins averaged over 113 yards a game in the last six games and really developed chemistry with Taylor. If Taylor progresses the way the team hopes, Buffalo can have a solid 1-2 connection in 2016.