BY: CULLEN TONGE
Okay, Bills fans. I don’t know about you, but I want it to be September tomorrow. We have had a little over a week to digest what happened two Sundays ago, and let me tell you, my stomach is treating that loss like I ate too much Taco Bell.
Regardless, we cannot overlook what a great season our beloved Bills had. I mean, we were watching history in the making, and even though it was a tough loss, I know we will be back better and stronger.
A few months ago, I gave out my midseason awards to players that I thought were deserving of them.
Now, as the season has come to an unfortunate end, I wanted to hand out my postseason awards and help my fellow Bills fans look back at what an amazing show the team put on for us.
OFFENSIVE MVP- Stefon Diggs
This is an absolute no brainer for me. I mean, what else is there for this man to do. He led the league in both receptions and yards, with a total of 147 catches accumulating to 1,846 yards. He finished the year with 10 touchdowns, but on a team that had a quarterback throw for 42 of them, the ball has to go around. Diggs set an NFL record with 16 straight games in which he had six or more catches. The man was absolutely unreal for the offense and was everything and more than the Bills had hoped for when they traded for him. I think I speak for nearly all of us when I say that Stefon Diggs grew into one of my favorite players to watch. His determination and hard work set him apart from other players. Diggs’ crisp route running and sticky fingers helped the Bills become one of the most dominant offenses in the NFL. He is humble and hungry, and I know that that picture of him watching the Chiefs celebrate will fuel the fire even more. So watch out, NFL. Diggs might go for 2,000 and 20 touchdowns next season.
DEFENSIVE MVP- Taron Johnson
Unlike the offense, it took a while for the Bills defense to get on the right track. For most of the season, they were nothing like the defenses we had seen in the past. I gave this award to Jordan Poyer halfway through the season, and I was highly considering giving it to him again. He was an absolute beast on the defensive side of the football, and it was a very tough decision not to pick him. Then, two plays came to mind. One we will talk about later, and one that was necessary. Obviously, Taron Johnson had the pick-6 against the Ravens, but let’s not forget the game he had against the Steelers in Week 14. I know that two plays shouldn’t give a player the defensive MVP award, but man, oh man were those two plays absolutely incredible. But let’s take a look at his stats. As our starting slot corner, he was third on the team in tackles and tied for second with two interceptions. He was there when we needed him most and proved that he should be talked about a lot more in a positive way.
BEST ROOKIE- Tyler Bass
Please do not hate me, Bills fans. I really wanted to put Gabriel Davis. Trust me, I did. Davis was so productive being the third or even fourth option on the team. Seven touchdowns for a rookie is quite an impressive stat, especially since Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate Justin Jefferson also had seven. But Tyler Bass, man. Yes, he is the Bass Man. He was so clutch and consistent as the year went on. I truly believe we have one of the best kickers in the game right now, and two or three years down the line, he could potentially be the best. Bass single-handedly was responsible for our win against the Jets when he made six field goals. He set the single-season record for the team for most points scored in a season and hit what ended up being the game-winner against the Colts in the playoffs from 54 yards away. He has the leg, the drive, and, as we saw as the season progressed, the accuracy. Bass got better each and every game, and I cannot wait to see how he continually gets better as his career goes on here in Buffalo.
MOST IMPROVED- Corey Bojorquez
Yes, I know. This may be a bit of a reach, and you are wondering, “Cullen, where is Josh Allen?” I know the easy and obvious choice for the most improved player on this team was Josh Allen, but we also know that he is the clear-cut team MVP, so I didn’t want to give him the most improved as well. I am also aware that Bojorquez was not used nearly as much as he had been in the last two seasons because of how well the offense played this season. Regardless, he still put up very impressive numbers. He averaged 50.8 yards per punt in the regular season, which was almost an entire nine yards more than last season. He had a long of 72 yards, and all I can think about is his one punt that landed out of bounds inside the one-yard line. He produced when we needed him too, and even though he had some shaky ones, his improvement from last season was very good.
BEST PLAY- Taron Johnson’s Pick-6 vs Ravens
This play may not be the best play of the season, but one that could be considered the best play in Buffalo Bills history. When he picked off Lamar Jackson in the endzone and ran it back for six points of his own, Johnson tied the NFL postseason record for the longest interception ran back for a touchdown at 101 yards. As the Ravens were driving and looking score to tie the game at 10, Johnson took matters into his own hands and flipped the narrative. Instead of the Bills giving up seven points, he gave them seven more to make the score 17-3. That ended up being the final score of the first playoff win in 25 years for the team. It was an absolute gem of a play that will go down in Bills’ history and will be talked about for a long time.
TEAM MVP- Josh Allen
As I alluded to earlier, Josh Allen was far and away the best player and the most valuable to his team this season. Not only is he the winner of the Bills team MVP award, but he is also in the conversation for the NFL MVP. Even though he most likely will finish in third behind Mahomes and Rodgers, Allen’s third season was simply incredible. When the season finally ended after the Chiefs game, he finished with 5,361 yards throwing, 566 yards rushing, 42 passing touchdowns, and nine rushing touchdowns. The jump we saw him make from years one and two to year three was unheard of. Stefon Diggs was obviously a huge part of that, but Allen’s will to win was unmatched. He has this sort of swagger and moxie that we all love to see, and I can assure you if we could set up some donation for his $15,000 fine for throwing the ball at Alex Okafor, then we would. I loved watching Josh take the field every drive, and I cannot wait to see how much better he gets going forward. It is now common knowledge to fans and teams around the NFL that Josh Allen is a force to be reckoned with, and I absolutely am excited to see where he takes these Buffalo Bills next season.
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