What do the Bills need to do for a playoff spot?

Sitting at 7-6 and in the hunt for what looks like to be the sixth spot in the playoffs, the Bills will more than likely need to win out their next three games. The team will need to win on all three phases of the game; offense, defense and special teams. There is a culture change that happened under head coach Sean McDermott, but we will see how seriously tough this team is with three weeks remaining in the regular season.

The Bills have a list on what they will need to accomplish in order to hopefully snap their 17 year long playoff drought. Beside figuring out who their starting quarterback will be, there are key factors in to which can help the Bills make the playoffs. It won’t be an easy three weeks for the Bills, but all are doable.

Win Out The Next Three Weeks: 

The Bills will face the Miami Dolphins twice and the New England Patriots in Gillette Stadium. Three division games will decide whether or not the Bills are in. The Dolphins started out sluggish but now they have seem to find their rhythm and they are back in the hunt for the playoffs. Beat the Dolphins twice and the chances of the Bills making it go up significantly.

The Bills took a beating in Week 13 against the Patriots. Losing 23-3 at home hurts. Facing them again in New England will make it even more challenging for the Bills. It’s going to take big plays and smart football to outlet Tom Brady. The defense that we saw in the beginning of the season where the Bills dominated the field, that is the type of defense that needs to play against Brady.

Ultimately, the Bills need to end the regular season at 10-6. Going 9-7 may still give them life at the postseason but 10-6 not only sounds better but it may look better by the time it comes when teams clinch their playoff spot.

Dominate in The Trenches: 

Both on the offense and defense, the Bills need their big men to win the battles up front.

The offensive line is not the same as it was the last two years. They are getting beat up front and it has slowed down the running game. Even LeSean McCoy has done well in recent weeks, the first couple weeks of the season he was not productive in the offense. Now that it’s crunch time, the Bills offense needs to produce and it starts up front.

As for the defense, they need to apply pressure to opponents and cause them to make mistakes. A defense like the Jaguars has been successful because their defensive line has caused damage to opponents. While the Bills defense is not the Jaguars defense, who is to say that the Bills defensive line can’t rack up sacks in the next three weeks? Win the battles up front and help cause turnovers.

Utilize Shady: 

McCoy has been the main go to guy in the Bills offense. He carried the Bills to a victory over the Colts in the snowstorm in Week 14. He has also come up with big and crucial runs that have helped the Bills secure wins this season.

He’s not getting younger. He is still in his prime and can continue to produce for this Bills offense in both the running and passing games. It’s hard to find running backs like McCoy. Buffalo definitely got a steal in him in the 2015 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Allow Shady to do what he does best and make plays. He is a key component in the offense and has been the past two seasons. Getting him involved makes defenses’ struggle at times.

Get Kelvin Benjamin More Involved: 

The Bills traded for the 6’5″ 245 pound receiver back in midseason. He didn’t have his breakout game with the Bills until last Sunday against the Colts and even then, it was not a huge game for him. He missed two games due to a torn meniscus, but seems to be working through it.

Like the type of player McCoy is, Benjamin can be considered the same thing at wide receiver. It is hard to find receivers with that much size and talent. What helped the Bills was that they did not give up a lot when they traded for him. Why not get him involved in the offense more?

No matter who is throwing the ball whether it’s Tyrod Taylor, Nathan Peterman or Joe Webb, the ball needs to get thrown to Benjamin more often. He has the ability to go up and grab for a big play that can help put points on the board for the Bills. The Bills should not waste the talent that he has on the outside. Get him involved the next three games and fans should be able to see what he is really made of.

 

Make sure to follow Brandon Ray on Twitter at @brandon_ray79 and FPC_Bills for Buffalo Bills coverage.