The Buffalo Bills experienced significant losses this offseason when Stefon Diggs, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde either left in free agency or were traded.
Despite these departures, the team still retains enough talent and key players, especially the most crucial piece, to remain one of the top teams in the AFC.
Professional athletes often thrive on the “us against the world” mentality for extra motivation, even if they have to create it themselves.
This is what starting tackle Dion Dawkins did on Thursday when he claimed on NFL Network that the team is being overlooked this season.
“Everybody is counting us out, which I’m cool with,” Dawkins said. “We can fly underneath that radar and hit everybody with uppercuts. I’m perfectly fine with it, but I’m gonna support those guys from a distance. It’s definitely different, and I’m still adjusting to it. I’m trying to answer it, but I’m just adjusting to it every day, because it is different, man. It really is.”
Even though the Bills need to replace some key players, they are not truly under the radar and remain favorites to win the AFC East according to most sportsbooks.
They have won at least 10 games for five consecutive years, clinched the division title four years in a row, and with their secured quarterback position, they are a solid Super Bowl contender.
Josh Allen, one of the best players in the league, leads their quarterback position. As long as a team has a player like Allen as the centerpiece of its offense, it will never be overlooked or counted out. With a top quarterback, a team is always a contender, and the Bills have Allen. Everything else falls into place around that.