Former NFL QB and current NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms isn’t impressed with the Buffalo Bills receivers.
“No one is scared” of them, he tweeted earlier this week. “Guys off the street are playing meaningful snaps. [Stefon] Diggs is great, but Josh Allen does not have the weapons other QBs playing with this weekend have.”
In the thread, Simms noted that Allen’s “supporting cast is not elite by any means. And yes, I know Gabe Davis has a big game once a month.”
Simms makes valid points.
According to Pro Football Focus, Diggs has the fourth-best offensive grade among wide receivers in the NFL (90.1) and the highest grade among WRs remaining in the playoffs. After Diggs, though, Buffalo’s wideout talent drops off.
Per PFF, Gabe Davis ranks 66th among receivers, followed by Isaiah McKenzie (71st) and rookie Khalil Shakir (88th). Dawson Knox has the 35th-best PFF receiving grade among tight ends.
Some anointed Davis as a “breakout candidate,” but he has fallen short of expectations. His stats are up significantly from last year, but that is due to more targets. His PFF offensive grade dipped from 81.5 in 2021 (10th in the NFL) to 66.9 in 2022.
In 2022, Davis tied for the league lead in drops with seven. McKenzie was supposed to replace Cole Beasley in the slot. His targets and stats have increased, but his PFF grade dropped over six points from last season.
The Bills recently brought back veterans Beasley and John Brown, who have both scored a touchdown over the past two weeks.
In last week’s divisional round win over the Dolphins, Davis racked up six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. He is tied for the second-most receiving TDs in Bills playoff history with six. If he can continue playing at that level, he will quiet the naysayers.
Cincinnati, Sunday’s divisional round opponents, has three wide receivers graded in the top 43 by PFF: Ja’Marr Chase (10th), Tee Higgins (25th), and Tyler Boyd (43rd).
The Chiefs, Buffalo’s potential AFC title game opponent, have three WRs graded in the top 60 by PFF: Skyy Moore (40th), JuJu Smith-Schuster (42nd), and Mecole Hardman (59th). They also have the No. 1 receiving tight end in Travis Kelce.
