BY: CULLEN TONGE
Here we are. Nobody would have guessed it just a few months back, but the NFL is still going on and is already more than halfway through the season. The Bills currently sit at 7-2 and are on top of the AFC East through nine games. Both losses were bad. The wins were half-and-half; some were dominant performances, others, not so much.
Regardless of how they got them, a win is a win, and first place in the division is better than anything else. The team has been a bit shaky over the past few weeks, but all-in-all, 7-2 is a very impressive record midway through the season.
Before the second half of the year commences, I thought I would go ahead and highlight some team awards so far, so sit back and help me celebrate the team’s successes so far.
OFFENSIVE MVP- Stefon Diggs
This offense has been quite the force this season, which has been a pleasant change here in Orchard Park. For as long as I can remember, the defense kept us in or even won us some games. This season, however, it has been the offense. Even so, there should only be two names that pop into your head: Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. The duo has been near unstoppable and is a big reason we are 7-2.
Since his arrival via a trade with the Minnesota Vikings this past offseason, Diggs has ignited this Bills’ offense. He is currently first in the league in yards (813), catches (63), and targets (91). He’s caught nearly 70 percent of balls thrown his way, and almost 60 percent of his receptions go for first downs.
Fans, opposing players, even the opposing fans all know that Allen loves to throw to Diggs, yet he continues to produce for the offense. His production has been unreal, and I am excited to see what he does each and every game and cannot wait to see how much better he becomes in a Bills uniform.
DEFENSIVE MVP- Jordan Poyer
Like I mentioned before, the defense just hasn’t been its usual self this season. Lucky for them, the offense has been electric and has produced enough so the defense can get away with bad games. For this award, once again, two names came to mind: Jerry Hughes and Jordan Poyer. If Hughes didn’t have the big game against the Jets in which he was AFC Defensive Player of the Week, he wouldn’t have come to mind. Big congrats to him there, but it was against the Jets. He needs to be more consistent, in my opinion, if he wants to be considered the best player on the defense.
Poyer, on the other hand, has been nothing but consistent. He ranks seventh in the league in total tackles with 79, and almost 76 percent of those tackles are solo tackles. That is beyond impressive. He has two sacks, six tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. He has been the most consistent player on the defensive side of the ball and his ability to make tackles when others can’t is remarkable.
BEST ROOKIE- Gabriel Davis
This one was a bit tricky to decide. On the defensive side, the only man that comes to mind is A.J. Epenesa, and that is only because the Bills drafted him pretty high. That being said, he has not lived up to the expectations that many of us had for him. Switching to special teams, there’s Tyler Bass. Even though he got off to a rough start, Bass is quickly improving and is single-handedly why the Bills beat the Jets scoring all 18 of the points.
Then, on offense, there are Zack Moss and Gabriel Davis. Moss was out with an injury for a little bit, but he has produced, especially last week against the Patriots when he has played. However, that span of games that he missed is the reason I think Davis gets this one.
Like I said in a previous article, Davis doesn’t have the big numbers that other rookie receivers have put up this season. However, his impact has been quite impressive when he sees the field. 19 catches on 28 targets for 275 yards and three touchdowns is not bad for the fourth receiver on the depth chart. Even when he doesn’t have the ball in his hands, he is still working hard and giving his teammates opportunities. I would love to see the big game for him, and I truly believe it is coming very soon. So far, he has lived up to what the Bills wanted when they drafted him and then some.
BEST PLAY- Allen to Kroft TD (Week 3 vs Rams)
This category was the hardest one to choose. Three plays come to mind for this one: the Hughes interception to seal the win over the Jets, the Justin Zimmer forced fumble to seal the victory over the Patriots, and the Tyler Kroft touchdown catch to beat the Rams.
Hughes’ interception was huge, but I don’t think the Jets would have scored and converted a two-point conversion if it hadn’t happened. On the other hand, Zimmer’s forced fumble couldn’t have come at a better time with the Patriots driving, looking to tie or win the game with time winding down. Who knows what would have happened in overtime or if the Patriots scored and the Bills had less than a minute to drive and score.
Even though that Patriots game was definitely nerve-racking, I don’t think I had yelled at the TV louder this season than when Tyler Kroft caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen with 15 seconds left in Week 3. The fact that we even got that point still baffles me because of the 25-point lead the Bills had, but that is beyond the point. When Allen lobbed that ball up to Kroft, who was falling backward, it was like my life was in slow motion. Then, everything snapped back to full speed, and I am jumping up and down. Shouts of joy rang out when I saw that Kroft had secured it. The play made the Bills 3-0 and one that I will never forget.
TEAM MVP- Josh Allen
The best player on the Bills this season has been Josh Allen. I wasn’t going to give him both MVP and Offensive MVP and snub Diggs of one of them. Allen has been phenomenal this season and has improved significantly from last season. His decision making has been spectacular. His accuracy has been a lot better. His leadership has been outstanding. If you take Josh Allen off the Bills, there is no shot that the team is above .500.
Allen’s numbers have blown me away this season, and yes, a lot of that is because of Diggs. But this season, we are seeing a different Josh Allen. He knows when to run and when to throw it away. And boy oh boy, when he runs, you better get out of his way (@Kyle Van Noy). He is top three in the league in yards and top six in the league in QBR and has led his team to the top spot in the AFC East and third in the AFC. If people say that Allen should be in the NFL MVP conversation, it is pretty safe to say that he deserves the Team MVP thus far.
The Sports Desk can be reached at editorialtrainwrecksports@gmail.com
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