Balance on Offense is Leading to Early Success for the Bills
A couple of weeks ago, Nick wrote about the approach Bills Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady took once he replaced Ken Dorsey midway through the 2023 season. The biggest change to the offense was his emphasis on the running game. The Bills went from calling runs on 36.6% of plays under Dorsey to 46.9% under Brady.
That balance on offense enabled Buffalo to control the pace of play and helped keep Josh Allen from making too many mistakes.
The question this offseason was whether or not Brady would maintain that approach. The early returns seem to be that he will.
Sure, it’s only been two games, which is a small sample size. But so far, Brady has struck a nearly-perfect balance with 50 called passes and 49 called runs (removing kneels).
And that’s in two very different types of games. In Week 1, Buffalo fell behind 17-3 to the Cardinals early. They didn’t start chucking the ball around Orchard Park, however. Instead Brady maintained balance throughout the game, calling 30 passes and 27 runs.
Last night against the Dolphins, with the Bills putting the game out of reach relatively early, the balance was also still there (20 called passes, 22 called runs).
Game situations will dictate a change in these numbers over the course of the season, as will the effectiveness of the run game. One reason the Bills have been able to stick with the run is that it’s been working (they’re averaging 4.2 yards per called run).
Josh Allen’s health will also be a factor in Brady’s play-calling long term. Either way, it’s clear what Buffalo’s intentions are on offense in 2024. So far it’s worked, with the Bills scoring 58 offensive points in 2 games.