The Buffalo Bills had one of the best seasons they’ve had in decades last year when they came within 13 seconds of a second-straight AFC Championship game appearance.
One of the key players they lost on their run into and through the first two games of the playoffs was All Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White. The Bills could have used White when the Kansas City Chiefs scored 42 points and racked up nearly 400 yards through the air in January.
The Bills and their fans felt that loss hard last year. Looking ahead to the 2022 season with the team being heralded as the top Super Bowl contender, White’s injury a year ago begs the question: Who can the Bills least afford to lose this season if they want to finally go and win that elusive Lombardi Trophy?
We picked one player on both sides of the ball and then added an honorable mention to see who means the most to the Bills outside of their star quarterback.
OFFENSE
Stefon Diggs
Gabriel Davis had four touchdowns against the Chiefs in January and it’s hard to imagine that performance could be possible without Diggs taking all the attention on himself. When he’s on the field, teams fear his route running and ability to get separation. He’s always lined up against the opposing team’s best cornerback and he was an All Pro in his first season with the Bills in 2020. Diggs also helps center Josh Allen whenever the game situations get tense. Allen has raved about Diggs’ demeanor on the field in big games. - Parrino
Dion Dawkins
It’s hard to argue with Matt’s choice, but Dion Dawkins’ play would be severely missed if he were to miss any time this season. Dawkins, 28, is coming off a Pro Bowl season in 2021. The left tackle has gotten better every season at protecting Josh Allen and is among the team’s locker room leaders. Without Dawkins, Buffalo’s line would take a big hit. It would put David Quessenberry or Tommy Doyle in a spot where they could potentially play reps at one of the most important positions on offense. That’s a significant drop-off. - Talbot
Honorable mention: Mitch Morse
Morse played all 17 regular season games last season and was a beacon of stability for the Bills’ offensive line while the offense figured some things out over the course of the season. Morse is a great player but the issue of him missing a substantial amount of time is what the Bills do to replace him. Ryan Bates and Greg Mantz can play center. But if you move Bates inside more than you likely take a step back at guard. The Bills have great depth on their offensive line. Brandon Beane does a great job stocking the cupboards on the line each offseason. But if Mantz, Greg Van Roten, or Cody Ford have to play a string of games - especially in January - it could spell trouble. - Parrino
DEFENSE
Von Miller
Von Miller was brought into Buffalo to be the missing piece to the Super Bowl puzzle. If he were to miss any time this season, Buffalo’s pass-rush would feature three unproven players (Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, A.J. Epenesa) and a returning Shaq Lawson. Lawson had his best season as a pass rusher in his final year with the Bills, but his bread and butter has always been stopping the run. Buffalo’s pass-rush would be a major question mark if Miller were to miss any time. - Talbot
Jordan Poyer
Check out this quote from Micah Hyde two weeks ago when asked about what Poyer means to the Bills defense. “He’s very special, very special,” Hyde said. “If you think about a safety, you think about a box safety, you think about a free safety, he can do it all. He’s maybe 195 on game day and he’s just in the box just fighting people. It is a dogfight in there. You got tight ends obviously (who are) 6′4, 6′5, 250 or 260 pounds. They can run fast so (when) he’s in a box he can cover, run defense, run stopping. He can just do it all.” Poyer’s presence on the back end and in the box is important for what he does as a player. But he’s equally valuable as a communicator, especially this year with rookie Kaiir Elam potentially stepping into a starting role. - Parrino
Honorable mention: Tre’Davious White
Did the Bills’ secondary fare well without White in the regular season? Yes, the unit played very well with Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson, but look no further than the divisional round to see White’s value. Buffalo’s secondary could not stop Patrick Mahomes and company last year. I’d be willing to bet the outcome of last year’s playoff game would have been significantly different had White been healthy and available. - Talbot
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