By Brendan Conniff
When the New York Giants played the New York Jets on Nov. 10, people described it as the game that would determine which team is the king of New York football. However, with the Giants being 2-11 and the Jets 5-8, neither team seems fit to hold the title. But what about the other New York football team looking to make a name for themselves? Let’s not forget about the Buffalo Bills. With the Giants and Jets currently rebuilding for the future, and the Bills current success with a record of 9-4, it is safe to say that New York football is in the hands of the Bills for the first time since they went to the Super Bowl in 1993.
The Bills’ current state of success all starts with their second year quarterback Josh Allen. Allen has been a great fit in the Buffalo organization and has helped the Bills find their winning ways. He has transformed the offense and this transformation has been one of the key reasons why the Bills have been so successful. After drafting quarterback busts such as EJ Manuel and Cardale Jones, the Bills finally got it right with Allen opening the door to a bright future for him in the NFL. The Bills also have a young new running back in Devin Singletary who has shown glimpses of his potential this year. After being hurt in the beginning of the season, he came back strong running wild the past three weeks. With the guidance of veteran back Frank Gore, Singletary just might prove to be something special. Only time will tell if the combination of Singletary and Allen in the backfield will prove to be deadly in years to come. One area of needed improvement is with the receivers. The Bills have veterans Cole Beasley and John Brown, but that is about it.
While the young leaders of Allen and Singletary have been doing their part to keep the offense moving, the main reason for the Bills’ success is their defense. The Bills’ defense was ranked as top-five since the beginning of the season and they have lived up to their ranking. There are no holes in this defense as the defensive line is led by Star Lotulelei and Jerry Hughes, the linebackers are led by Tremaine Edmunds and Lorenzo Alexander and the secondary is led by Micah Hyde and Tre’Davious White. All of these players are young and have the ability to continue to lead this loaded defense for years to come. For the Bills, the upside of having this strong defense is that the front office can put all of their attention to upgrading their offense. All Allen needs is better talent at the wide receiver position and he will become a top quarterback in the league. Same thing goes for the offensive line. If the offensive line improves just the slightest, Singletary has that much greater of a chance to become an even better running back. While the Bills are technically still rebuilding, they are 9-4 and, with more talent on the way to Buffalo in the upcoming years, the future for the Bills looks bright.
With New York allegiances tied to the Giants or the Jets predominantly, it seems as if the Bills have been forgotten in New York. However, the Bills have emerged as the new winning team of New York. They deserve more attention than they get as they are in line to make a playoff push with their 9-4 record. As New York football fans have been continually disappointed in recent years with the performances of the Giants and Jets, the new kings of New York football, the Buffalo Bills, are here to provide hope for New York football fans.
This is just the beginning of the Bills’ greatness.
Brendan Conniff is a sophomore at Manhasset High School. He runs cross country and track and plays lacrosse. In addition, he is a writer for Indian Ink, the online school newspaper, and a member of the Engineering Club.
