Gabe Davis is back with the Buffalo Bills and hasn't played a game in 2025, yet he understands what is plaguing his team's passing game as they enter the back stretch of the regular season.
Simply, Buffalo isn't being Buffalo.
"Honestly, I just think we have to play to our standards," Davis said Wednesday, via The Associated Press. "I feel like we all as a collective forgot about how hard it is to win. It doesn't matter who we play. It's about us, and we got to go out there and play our game."
It's been difficult to predict which Bills team the football world receives from week to week. Consider their last two games, for example: Buffalo put together its most complete performance in an invigorating 28-21 win over their familiar foe, the Kansas City Chiefs, in Week 9, then flopped in an upset loss to the AFC East rival Miami Dolphins. The latter performance was unlike the Bills; Josh Allen still completed 28 of 40 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns but also accounted for two pivotal turnovers, and Buffalo was held scoreless until the fourth quarter.
The larger issue Davis was discussing pertains to their lack of explosive passing, a hallmark of previous Buffalo teams that has been missing since the departures of Stefon Diggs and (until his return in 2025) Davis. The Bills currently rank 12th in passing yards per game (231.2), but their shift toward relying on tight ends -- a focus that has produced the second most receiving yards and touchdowns for a team's tight ends group in the NFL (716 yards and seven scores) -- has tanked their receiver production.
Khalil Shakir leads Buffalo with 45 catches for 457 yards this season. Keon Coleman, a former second-round pick who has disappeared in some games, ranks second on the team with 32 catches, good for 330 yards (the third most on the Bills roster) and three touchdowns. He's the only Bills receiver to clear 100 yards in a game this season.
"We know the team that we got. We just have to be consistent," Davis said.
Much of this is also related to James Cook's excellent rate of production this season. He's one of only two running backs averaging more than 80 rushing yards per game in the NFL in 2025, standing second behind Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor at 102.2 yards per contest. As a team, they're running for more yards per game (153.2) in 2025 than they have in any campaign since drafting Allen in 2018.
Balance is healthy but it won't stop the questions regarding their lack of explosive passing. Still, it isn't worth sacrificing the running game just to appease those wanting more aerial fireworks.
We'll see if the Bills can strike the consistent balance they seek to maximize their potential before the postseason arrives.
"Offenses are always gonna be easier when you're running the ball effectively," Allen said.
"But yeah, we got to be better in the pass game, we know that, I know that," he added. "But I definitely think we're more than capable of being able to do that."
