The Buffalo Bills keep walking a tightrope, pretending they are still built to bully the AFC in January, but the reality is uglier than their record suggests. This team does not scare elite opponents anymore, and every national analyst with a pulse can see the same thing. Josh Allen is leading a roster that no longer provides him with championship-level support. Former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho did not dance around it. He shredded the Bills’ contender status and laid out why this season could end in absolute embarrassment.
Former NFL Linebacker Emmanuel Acho Alerts Josh Allen and the Bills
Acho did not warm up, did not hedge, and did not soften the blow. He went straight for the state of the AFC and why Buffalo has no excuse for looking this shaky. “But the bills are fighting for playoff seating. And if we are being honest, the AFC is wide the hell open. The Chiefs might not make the playoffs this year.” Acho said, pointing to a conference that has somehow become easier, not harder, for a team that claims it is built for deep playoff runs. That is exactly why he thinks Buffalo’s struggle is inexcusable.
He did not stop there. Acho warned that the Baltimore Ravens might also stumble and highlighted a rare path where the Bills could luck into a Super Bowl run if they were not tripping over their own limitations. “Ravens will likely make the playoffs, but there is a chance that they do not. If they do, they are going to be on the road the entirety of the time, potentially. So like the bills, this could be another one of those weird years where it is like, this was a year the Bills got into the Super Bowl with this roster.” In other words, the door is wide open and Buffalo still looks lost.
Acho listed the mid-tier AFC teams the Bills may have to beat, and none of them should be world-ending matchups. “You are going to have to go through the Colts, the Broncos, the Chargers… you can go through all these teams.” Yet he argues Buffalo’s inconsistency turns those winnable matchups into coin flips. The problem is expectations. “Because the bills have more expectations this season, the bills need this win more,” he added, calling out their bad habit of playing down to competition.
He even brought up the Houston Texans running with a backup quarterback. “They are the Texans on a backup quarterback and the third game on a backup quarterback. Shout out to Davis Mills for the last two wins, but the Buffalo Bills… when they get into the dance, it can change everything.” It was a backhanded compliment. Buffalo has upside, but only if Allen plays hero ball for four straight weeks.
The real punch came last. Acho believes Buffalo is one road trip away from humiliation. “If the bills end up on the road, like they can mess around and go one and done… if the bills end up being the five seed and have to play the Broncos… or say the bills end up being the six and have to play the Broncos at the three or the Patriots… the bills could go one and done. Let us make no mistake about it.”
That is the dagger. The Bills are living off reputation, not reality. Their quarterback is elite, but their playoff life depends on Allen being perfect while everyone around him stays average. Emmanuel Acho said the quiet part out loud. Unless Buffalo wakes up fast, he might end up being the only one who was not surprised when they flame out in January. But let’s see how the Bills are performing according to stats.
How are the Offense, Defense and Special Teams Performing?
The Bills’ offense remains the engine of the team, led by Josh Allen and a powerful ground attack. According to ESPN, the Bills sit second in the league with 387.4 yards per game, driven by one of the most productive rushing units in football. Their 147.6 rushing yards per game puts them near the top of the league.
However, their passing game does not crack the elite tier. The Bills’ advanced efficiency numbers, such as a 0.15 EPA per play and a 48.4 percent success rate (via SumerSports), show an offense that can move the ball but gets inconsistent when forced into obvious passing situations. In short, the offense is good but not complete.
The defense is a different story. Buffalo allows 322.7 yards per game and 22.9 points per game, according to Fox Sports. Those numbers reflect a unit that flashes but does not dominate. The front seven struggles with gap discipline, which is why they give up 153 rushing yards per game, one of the worst marks among playoff hopefuls. The secondary has talent but is exposed whenever the pass rush does not land quickly. This defense can make plays, but it also gives up long drives and explosive chunk gains at an alarming rate.
And to talk about the special teams, they have not been a disaster, but they also are not a strength. There is no metric showing them carrying games or consistently flipping field position. They operate in the middle of the pack, which becomes a problem when both the offense and defense are inconsistent. In tight games against playoff offenses, average special-teams play can be the difference between advancing and going home early.