The Buffalo Bills saw a massive shift in their turnover battle during the 2023 season, and it tells you everything you need to know about the Joe Brady era kicking off. Under offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey for the first ten games, the Bills coughed up the ball 18 times. That’s a brutal 1.8 turnovers per game! But when Brady took over as interim offensive coordinator for the final seven games, that number plummeted to 10 turnovers, bringing the per-game average down to a much more respectable 1.4. Yeah, the advantage wasn’t as drastic as some might think at first glance, but that kind of immediate impact on ball security is exactly what you want to see.
Josh Allen’s Turnover Rollercoaster and Brady’s Grip
Look, we’ve all heard the talk about Josh Allen being turnover-prone. Is it 100% accurate? Maybe not, but it’s not totally wrong either. Quarterbacks are often the main culprits for giveaways, and Allen’s journey has been a wild ride. His first year was, frankly, abysmal. Then he cleaned things up, with the Bills hovering around average from 2019 to 2021. But then, we saw those alarming spikes in 2022 and 2023. Guess who was right there in the mix? Joe Brady was the quarterbacks coach and interim offensive coordinator during those spike years.
Then came 2024 and 2025, with Brady fully in charge as offensive coordinator. The 2024 season was an elite year, practically devoid of giveaways, while 2025 ended up pretty average. Brady’s tenure as OC saw the team lean heavier into the run game, which definitely can help ball security. But here’s the kicker: that elite 2024 season with almost no turnovers? It actually featured a pretty balanced offense where passing attempts edged out rushing ones. So, even when they threw it more, they held onto the rock. It really seems like the seasons with Brady having a heavier influence were just plain good ones for ball security, even with Allen’s potential for a disastrous season. The 2023 data might look rough, but those truly feel like outliers now, especially with Brady at the helm.
The Takeaway Side: Constantly Fooling Everyone
Now, let’s talk takeaways. This side of the ball for the Bills under Sean McDermott seemed to defy logic sometimes. We all talk about “regression to the mean,” right? It’s practically built for turnovers. You expect those numbers to eventually even out. But for the Bills, aside from the 2025 and 2019 seasons, it just wasn’t happening under McDermott. My pick for regression kept getting shot down. To be fair, last season I was banging the drum about the Bills’ defensive roster being less talented than many of McDermott’s previous squads. It just goes to show, sometimes the talent simply isn’t there to consistently generate those game-changing plays.
So, what’s next for the Bills in 2026 with Joe Brady taking the reins as head coach? This team has shown it can be elite with ball security, especially when Brady’s influence is strong. The question now is whether they can sustain that consistency across a full season, impacting both the offense’s giveaways and potentially helping the defense find new ways to create takeaways consistently. It’s all about whether Brady can bottle that 2024 magic and make it the norm.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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