We can get overly obsessed with scheme and coaching in the NFL.
And it’s not that they’re unimportant.
It’s that players make those schemes and said coaching come to life on the field, especially in the most critical moments. Typically, the club hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in February features a roster relatively loaded with All-Pro, individual-award winning studs outside the quarterback position.
Speaking of awards, the most prominent individual hardware earned by a Buffalo Bills player over the past
decade was of course Josh Allen’s 2024 NFL MVP. And it was unique. In more ways than one.
Not only was he the first player in 20-plus years to win the award without being a first-team All-Pro himself, but it marked only the second time in league history a quarterback won the award without any other All-Pros on his entire roster.
And that was kind of the theme of first eight years of Allen’s career, wasn’t it? He ascended to elite status in Buffalo, and the Bills always had a deep, quality roster. But relative to just how successful the team had become, Allen almost always lacked true supporting superstars — outside of those years with Stefon Diggs.
The Bills proved they could win a lot of games with that roster makeup. The most regular season wins in the NFL since 2020 is not nothing. Along with five-straight AFC East titles, it ultimately was the crowning achievement of the Sean McDermott era.
Because when it mattered most, in the playoffs, whether against the Chiefs, Bengals, or Broncos, Buffalo’s lack of premier, All-Pro caliber players beyond Allen was exposed. The Bills fell victim to the likes of Tyreek Hill, Chris Jones, Ja’Marr Chase, Nik Bonitto, and Zach Allen.
Heck most of the Bills reasonably rare regular losses since 2020 have taken All-Pro caliber performances to beat them.
And, sure, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Matt Milano, Cole Beasley, and Taron Johnson made some All-Pro teams in Buffalo. Coincidently, they were all key pieces on Bills teams that got to the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance.
As they open a brand new stadium tonight, the Bills will get a taste of a superstar-driven roster, because the Lions are distinctly one of those teams.
Penei Sewell has been a first-team All-Pro in each of the last three seasons. Amon-Ra St. Brown was a first-teamer in 2023 and second-team All-Pro in 2022 and 2025. Aidan Hutchinson was a second-team All-Pro last year. Heck, even relative newcomer on the scene, linebacker Jack Campbell, earned a First-Team All-Pro distinction last season.
And no one on Earth would be surprised if Jahmyr Gibbs finishes this season with an All-Pro distinction. In Week 1, he became the sixth player in NFL history with 50 touchdowns in his first 50 games. Dazzling accomplishment.
And, of course, this single game won’t concretely determine if the Bills have become a genuinely star-studded team or not. Plus, a deep roster can absolutely beat a top-heavy one in the NFL.
But tonight’s game can serve as a stellar litmus test for the Bills as they venture down their intended path toward becoming that type of club, which I believe is needed for the franchise to win its first ever Super Bowl.
How does Buffalo’s current cast of characters stack up with the Lions superstars?
Is this the year Dalton Kincaid establishes himself as one of the best tight ends in the game? Will DJ Moore experience a Diggs-like career resurgence with Allen throwing him the football? How about Spencer Brown or Dion Dawkins earning All-Pro distinction? Is Deone Walker’s second season when he becomes widely regarded as the NFL’s best young nose tackle? How about Greg Rousseau — is a new role in Jim Leonhard’s scheme precisely what he needs to elevate to serious game-wrecker status?
Because for as good as the Bills collection of solid, occasionally great, but rarely tremendous players were, we all witnessed that type of team can only take you so far.
And, of course, these Bills have their sights set on venturing further than they ever have in the Allen era.
