National Football League

Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs headline nine Bills who will determine playoff fate

Updated Jan. 10, 2023 6:16 p.m. ET

The Buffalo Bills have enjoyed yet another successful regular season. But now, it's a win-or-go-home tournament. And the prize is a Super Bowl trophy, which has eluded this franchise throughout its history. Quarterback Josh Allen and his crew of insanely talented Bills have as good a chance as any team to walk away with a ring.

But they've had their shortcomings on offense and defense this year. They've had their struggles. And I think that if Buffalo is going to win it all, the Bills will need excellence from the following nine members of the team, including players and coaches.

So as Buffalo prepares for the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round on Sunday, let's dive into the most important Bills for this postseason run. These nine men will determine whether Buffalo wins its first Super Bowl or ends this playoff run like every other — with a loss.

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Head Coach Sean McDermott

It has to start with McDermott, the head coach and leader of this team. In the wake of Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest and the trauma that surrounded it, McDermott has demonstrated a strong moral compass. He gathered his players following the incident on the field — and immediately realized he needed to get them off the field. His priority was taking care of them and getting to the hospital. His emotional intelligence in handling one of the most challenging situations has been outstanding. And I have little doubt that he’ll continue to support his players through the emotional toll of the Hamlin situation.

When it comes to the football side of things, McDermott has been a regular-season success, with a 13-3 record. And he has had some success in the postseason, with a 3-4 record. Alas, he will be judged by his Super Bowl record. And right now, there's nothing to judge. McDermott will have to manage his team schematically and strategically in the coming weeks. Every fourth-down decision, every substitution, every timeout call — it all matters in this immensely intense playoff atmosphere.

QB Josh Allen

It'll be hard for Allen to claim that he's the best quarterback in the NFL without a Super Bowl ring. Allen finished the season with 267.9 passing yards per game, 35 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. He added 124 rushes for 762 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

He might not win the MVP, with Patrick Mahomes doing more with less, Joe Burrow lighting up the passing stat boxes and Jalen Hurts rushing and passing with so much success.

Allen had his issues with turnovers, but insanely enough, he is so darn good that he can often overcome those major mistakes and pull off a win. In the postseason, he can't risk it. He'll need to keep his interceptions at a minimum — his risk-taking mindset will need to change.

But aside from that, this is Allen's year. The team is supremely talented. He has the supporting cast. Allen needs to take advantage of this window.

WR Stefon Diggs

He's HIM. What else is there to say?

CB Tre'Davious White

The Bills did just fine without White as he recovered from an ACL injury suffered in 2021. But their secondary has been the weakest link on the defense, with cornerbacks Taron Johnson (slot), Dane Jackson, Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam struggling with injuries and overall performance. They will be without safety Hamlin, of course, though — great news — he was released from the hospital in Cincinnati on Monday and is back in Buffalo.

On Pro Football Focus, Johnson is the highest-graded cornerback and 11th-highest-graded defender on the team. That's not particularly impressive.

White, meanwhile, is 14th-best. But if there's any player who can ascend in the coming weeks, it's White, who was a bona fide CB1 prior to his injury. He has already jumped from the 20th-best grade in Week 16.

If White can get back to shutting down true WR1s — or even limiting them — then this defense will be truly special.

RB James Cook

Early this season, Buffalo's offense lacked pizzazz. By midseason, everyone knew that star receiver Diggs was the go-to guy in crucial moments. While Diggs was generally excellent as the primary option, the Bills struggled to develop a secondary option. The rushing attack lacked luster. Pass-catchers Gabe Davis, Isaiah McKenzie and Dawson Knox saw their production decline or stay static. Allen began to run the ball more often in crucial situations — and he had a run of interceptions, with six over a three-game span.

Recently, rookie running back James Cook has been the efficient and explosive playmaker that the offense seemingly lacked. With 22 touches in the past two weeks, Cook has taken on a role in the passing and rushing game. As a jittery option out of the backfield, he has been a boon to the Bills offense late in the regular season.

DE Gregory Rousseau

Rousseau has taken over the mantle as the team's big-time playmaker on the defensive line.

He isn't at Von Miller's level, but the entire unit has stepped up since the future Hall of Famer suffered his ACL injury in early December. Rushers Shaq Lawson, A.J. Epenesa and Ed Oliver have all played extremely well in recent weeks. But Rousseau is the biggest threat of them all. His PFF grade is 83.6, second-best on the team — behind only Miller's.

Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier

Frazier has led one hell of a defense this year, with the unit finishing second in points per game allowed (17.9), sixth in yards allowed per game (319.1) and fourth in DVOA (-10%).

It's pretty simple: Frazier's no-nonsense approach has helped put supremely talented players in positions where — as a unit of 11 players — the Bills defense is one of the NFL's best. There's little doubt in my mind that the veteran DC can keep that up.

He'll have to recapture the same magic he had when his defense forced two turnovers out of Mahomes in Week 6.

Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey

Dorsey has pushed this offense to be dynamic. And when he saw that Allen and Diggs were too central to the team's path to victory, the OC tried to get more people involved. Not only would that help Allen stay healthy (with fewer rushing plays), but it might also help the QB not take as many chances looking for game-changing plays (which could result in fewer turnovers).

There's room for criticism of Dorsey, however. The Bills' passing attack doesn't look as dynamic as it should. There's reason to question why Davis, McKenzie and Knox haven't had bigger years. And there's reason to question why Allen has had to lead the team in rushing in nine of its 16 regular-season games.

Dorsey can silence that skepticism during this playoff run.

LB Matt Milano

Milano doesn't get nearly enough love. But make no mistake: He is one of the team's most important defenders. He's also one of the best linebackers in the league.

Milano does just about everything for his defense, and — most importantly — he shows up when it matters most. It's great that he finished second on the team in tackles (99), interceptions (3) and pass breakups (11). But it's even more important that he has made huge sacks and tackles for loss in the red zone in multiple games this year. He led the team with 12 TFLs. He takes points away from opposing offenses. He also scored the team's only defensive touchdown.

That kind of value is hard to quantify in counting stats.

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Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.