Mark Gaughan
Bills/NFL writer
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The Buffalo Bills gained significant ground on where they were a month ago with the much-needed trade acquisition of receiver Amari Cooper on Oct. 15.
Now that the dust has settled on all the NFL trade deadline action, however, the outlook at the top of the AFC remains unchanged.
The Bills didn't fall behind in the AFC arms race, thanks to the addition of Cooper. But Buffalo did not gain any ground on the top two teams they are chasing - Kansas City and Baltimore.
The Chiefs and Ravens also made key additions that added to their strength.
Kansas City stands 8-0 and remains the prohibitive Super Bowl favorite. Technically, the Bills (7-2) aren't chasing Baltimore (6-3). On paper, however, the Ravens' starting roster, 1 to 22, looks a little more talented than that of the Bills. Of course, the Ravens also beat the Bills 35-10 on Sept. 29.
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This doesn't mean the Bills can't knock off the Chiefs or Ravens. But the Bills still are an underdog to those two.
The trade-deadline moves put a spotlight on how important it was for general manager Brandon Beane to get Cooper from Cleveland in return for a third-round draft pick.
Cooper sat out last week's win over Miami with a wrist injury. He was limited in Wednesday's walkthrough practice. With rookie Keon Coleman probably missing this week's game in Indianapolis because of a wrist injury, Cooper's return to the lineup would be a big help against the Colts. The Bills desperately will need Cooper's ability to win vs. man-to-man coverage when Kansas City comes to town in 10 days.
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"Since Day 1, when he stepped in the building, he was ready to go," said Josh Allen on Wednesday. "He's only continued to learn the playbook and learn his role in this offense. Whether we get him back this week or the next or whenever, I know he's going to be ready to go to plug-and-play and feel pretty seamless out there."
Kansas City addressed its receiver need by adding DeAndre Hopkins, who scored two touchdowns in the Chiefs' win over Tampa Bay on Monday night. Hopkins mostly makes up for the loss of star Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury. The Chiefs would be a little better with Rice, but from the Bills' perspective, at least they don't now have both Rice and Hopkins.
Then the Chiefs added situational edge rusher Josh Uche in a trade with New England. He had 11½ sacks in 2022, but he has been a minimal producer both before and since. Uche is strictly a third-down specialist. He helps a little and adds injury insurance. But the Chiefs already were strong on third-down pass-rushing off the edge.
The Ravens added a much-needed pass-catcher, too, in the deal with Carolina for Diontae Johnson. He's a clear upgrade over 31-year-old Nelson Agholor, who has been operating as the Ravens' third receiver.
There have been times in recent seasons when Lamar Jackson was vulnerable to the blitz. Now the Ravens have the best three-man wideout crew - with Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Johnson - of Jackson's career.
Bills run it back at defensive tackle, re-signing Jordan Phillips and Quinton Jefferson
Following injuries to defensive linemen DeWayne Carter and Dawuane Smoot, the Bills reunited with a pair of familiar faces Wednesday to provide depth along the interior of their defensive line.
The one chink in Baltimore's team thus far has been pass defense. The Ravens traded with the Rams for ex-Bill Tre'Davious White for what amounted to a box of popcorn (the two teams exchanged seventh-round picks). Injuries have robbed White of his stature. That doesn't move the needle for Baltimore's defense.
The Bills' defensive tackle signings Wednesday don't move the needle much, either. Quinton Jefferson looks like a more useful addition than Jordan Phillips, who was barely playing for a bad Dallas defense. Jefferson, just released by Cleveland, is a pretty comparable fill-in for Dawuane Smoot, who just went on injured reserve with a wrist injury.
The task for the Bills is to keep taking care of business. No proverbial toe-stubbings, starting with Sunday in Indianapolis.
Maybe the Bills get lucky in January and someone else knocks off Kansas City or Baltimore. The worst-case scenario would be to have to go through both the Chiefs and the Ravens in the AFC playoffs.
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Bills/NFL writer
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