Who Are Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs? Stars Make Buffalo Bills Super Bowl Contenders

The Buffalo Bills are one win away from reaching the Super Bowl in large part due to a pair of star players. Quarterback Josh Allen and wide receiver Stefon Diggs have helped transform the much-maligned franchise into a legitimate championship contender.

The arrival of Bills head coach Sean McDermott in 2017 marked the end of Buffalo’s 17-year playoff drought, which was the longest in NFL history. In order to take the next step and enter the Super Bowl picture, Buffalo had to find its franchise quarterback.

The Bills traded up to make Allen the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, a move that was not without risk. With a cannon for an arm that can send a football more than 80 yards through the air, Allen was arguably the most talented quarterback in the draft. The signal caller had trouble harnessing that talent both in college and during his first two seasons as a pro, unable to complete passes with an acceptable level of accuracy.

That changed in year No.3 when Buffalo gave Allen one of the league’s top receivers. The Bills traded a haul of draft picks in March to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Diggs, who has flourished in upstate New York.

Allen made a leap that few—if any—quarterbacks have ever taken in their third NFL season.

In the 2019 season, Allen finished dead last among all starters by completing 58.8% of his passes. With Diggs on the roster in 2020, Allen ranked fourth, completing 69.2% of his throws.

Allen finished in the top five in completion percentage, passing yards (4.554), yards per attempt (7.9), touchdown passes (37) and passer rating (107.2) for the 2020 season. The quarterback didn’t rank in the top 20 in any of those categories last year.

MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers and reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes might’ve been the only quarterbacks who had a better 2020 campaign than Allen. On Sunday, Allen and the Bills face Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game for the right to play in Super Bowl LV.

Diggs played no small part in Allen’s transformation. More passes were sent his way than any other player in football.

Diggs led the with 127 catches for 1,535 yards. The receiver is first through two rounds of the playoffs with 14 receptions, four of which have gone for at least 20 yards.

Many of Allen’s deep throws that were previously landing incomplete are now being hauled in by Diggs for big gains. The quarterback ranked near the top of the league by completing 44.8% of his passes that traveled at least 20 yards down the field, according to The Wall Street Journal. Allen completed such attempts at half that in the 2019 season.

The relationship between Diggs and Allen has been a mutually beneficial one. Recognized as one of the league’s better receivers during his time in Minnesota, Diggs wasn’t selected to a Pro Bowl until he joined Buffalo. The 27-year-old averaged 924.6 yards per season during his five seasons with the Vikings.

Every quarterback who is still in the postseason has the help of a top receiver. Rodgers has Davante Adams. Mahomes has two exceptional targets in receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce. Mike Evans gives Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers one of the most reliable receivers in the league.

Deshaun Watson performed at an elite level this season, but the Houston Texans finished near the bottom of the standings with a 4-12 record. Houston traded star receiver DeAndre Hopkins less than a week after Buffalo acquired Diggs. The Texans won six fewer games than they did a season ago.

Now that the Bills have their superstar tandem in place, the Super Bowl title that has eluded the franchise for its entire existence is well within reach.