Bills Over / Under Season Wins
The Buffalo Bills finished last season at the bottom of the AFC East, but there was a lot to like from the team, including some flashes from quarterback EJ Manuel, and a defense that wound up as one of the surprise units in the league.
Over Under Lines
- 2013 Record: 6-10
- Bills Lines ov6.5 (-165)
- Bills Lines un6.5 (+130)
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Replicating that defensive success is going to be very difficult for the Bills. The team lost the coordinator of that unit, Mike Pettine, who is now the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
The unit also enters the season without Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd, who found greener pastures in free agency, and leading tackler Kiko Alonso, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the summer.
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Without those contributors on defense, more pressure will be applied to the team’s offense, which was woefully inconsistent last season. That starts with the quarterback. The team brought in wide receiver Sammy Watkins with a first-round selection to partner with Manuel, though the sophomore loses the security blanket that was Stevie Johnson.
One wideout worth looking to for a bigger season is Robert Woods. A second-round pick a year ago, Woods brought in 40 balls, three of which went for scores. Woods won’t offer the kind of big-play explosiveness that Watkins does, but he can be the kind of sure-handed receiver that Manuel can count on.
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It’s also curious that running back C.J. Spiller continues to be under-utilized. Head coach Doug Marrone was expected to fix that problem, but instead leaned even more heavily on Fred Jackson than his predecessor.
The result was a major bounce back season for Jackson, but the offense was limited without the explosive kinds of plays Spiller can break off.
The team seems to only further be isolating the former first round pick, bringing in more big bodied backs in Bryce Brown and Anthony Dixon, which would have to lead one to believe that the current management and coaching team that is in place in Buffalo right now, which inherited Spiller from the previous regime, isn’t all that high on him.
That leaves both sides in an awkward position, as Spiller is under contract to stay in Buffalo, while the team just continues to get abused by the media for their failure to utilize that asset properly. From the sounds of it, Spiller and Jackson will be deployed in similar fashion this season.
Bills NFL Betting Prediction
The Watkins deal had the feel of the Atlanta Falcons’ decision to move up in the draft a few years ago to pluck Julio Jones out of Alabama, but the Bills don’t look to be anywhere near as close as the Falcons were then, which makes one wonder if there is something funny going on in the Bills’ front office.
Given the inevitable step back that will come from the defense, a 5-11 season seems likely.
The play: Under 6.5 (+130)
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