Knocking on the championship door but unable to break through, the Buffalo Bills are determined to design another route to the Super Bowl.
The Bills begin their quest of reaching the postseason for the seventh time in eight seasons when they battle the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Orchard Park, N.Y.
Buffalo (11-6 last season) had its Super Bowl hopes dashed by the Kansas City Chiefs for the third time in the past four seasons in January. After losing to the Chiefs in the 2020 AFC Championship Game, the Bills have been eliminated in the divisional round the past three seasons.
Due to cap constraints and uneven results, the Bills underwent revamping in the spring. Among the departures are receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, center Mitch Morse, cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer.
The trade of Diggs to the Houston Texas certainly was the signature move as the club parted ways with a talented player who was a distraction at times. But not having a bona fide go-to wideout isn’t an issue to star quarterback Josh Allen.
“Yeah, we’ve got a lot of new guys, new faces, and just trying to spread the wealth,” Allen said Wednesday. “I think the term we’ve been using is ‘Everybody eats’ and it’s going to take all 11 guys on the field at any given time to make a play go. That’s our mindset. It doesn’t really matter who gets the ball or when they get it. We’re going to be happy for whatever we’re doing out there and just try to make the best play possible.”
Khalil Shakir, who caught two touchdowns in the postseason, and newcomer Curtis Samuel (62 catches for Washington last season) figure to be the top targets. Veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling and second-round draft pick Keon Coleman also are part of the mix.
Familiarity is in short supply. Shakir is the lone receiver who has caught a pass from Allen in an official game.
“I feel like teams don’t even know what we’re gonna do,” Samuel said. “And I feel like that’s a great thing. We got so many weapons, so many different guys that could do a lot of a lot of different things. I feel like that makes us scary.”
The Cardinals (4-13) are hoping to have an explosive tandem with No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. on board to catch throws from quarterback Kyler Murray. Harrison played just three snaps in the preseason without a ball thrown his way so Sunday is the day Arizona’s new present is formally unwrapped.
“I know what type of talent he is and I know what he’s capable of,” said Murray, “but we have to go out there and do it.”
Murray is looking forward to this season now that his serious knee injury is behind him. He tore the ACL in his right knee against the New England Patriots during a Monday night affair on Dec. 12, 2022.
He returned to game action exactly 11 months later and passed for 1,799 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games last season.
“Football has been on my mind this whole offseason,” Murray said. “It always is but last year, being hurt and having to rehab and stuff like that, (I tried) not to get too far away from the game mentally. I have had this on my mind for a long time, what I want to accomplish, what I want this team to accomplish, so it doesn’t feel brand new.”
The Cardinals have played in just one postseason game during Murray’s previous five NFL seasons — a wild-card round loss to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2021 season.
Receiver Xavier Weaver (oblique) sat out Wednesday’s practice for the Cardinals. Defensive end Javon Solomon (oblique) missed practice for the Bills.
