5 takeaways from Super Bowl 59 for the Bills

The Chiefs have lost in the playoffs to the Tom Brady-led Bucs, Bengals, and Eagles. While the Bills rightfully shouldn’t construct their roster solely for facing a single opponent, they have yet to best KC in the playoffs under Sean McDermott. What they can do is learn from their blueprints.

Not only for beating Kansas City but for reaching and competing in the Super Bowl.

The Eagles offer a strong model of roster building that took them all the way to a Lombardi Trophy that can provide a blueprint for both winning the championship as well as beating the Chiefs along the way.

From their strong screen defense against the Chiefs’ screen-friendly offense and a dominant defensive line in the trenches to a dominant offensive attack as well, Philly showed how to get it done.

Buffalo hosts both these two clubs as opponents during their 2025 home schedule.

The Bills hope to continue their regular season winning ways against the Chiefs and the Eagles will present a tough challenge as well.

While the rosters could look slightly different in some areas following offseason moves, the Super Bowl both showed how Buffalo can attack Kansas City on both sides of the ball, as well as where they will need to prepare to compete in that regard against Philadelphia.

The Bills have some important insights they can glean from the Eagles as both teams feature elite RB1s as well as rush-centric QBs.

The Bills have aimed to adapt the Eagles’ “tush push” play the past two seasons, albeit to mixed results. Perhaps no more visibly than the AFC Championship loss this postseason against Kansas City, including one QB sneak attempt where now MVP Josh Allen hurt his hand.

While there are similarities to the team’s attack on both offense and defense, what stood apart about the Eagles was how they’ve filled in their roster with effective players who execute with efficiency when and where needed.

While Allen’s efficiency and historical achievements earned him MVP honors this season, there are still areas of need in the Bills’ roster for efficient talents and for efficiency in execution.

The Eagles provided a model for such efficiency and the Championship results it can lead to, and the Bills will be tasked this offseason with improving to rise to a greater level of efficiency in their execution.

The Philly offense was dominant against the Kansas City defense, which might help give Buffalo insights in future matchups against their AFC rival.

But it was the Eagles’ defense, especially their dominant defensive line that also turned heads.

The Philadelphia defense did not blitz Kansas City QB Patrick Mahomes on any of his 42 dropbacks, yet they sacked him six times and caused multiple turnovers.

Including the playoffs, the Bills were the points leader (612) this season among NFL teams with the Eagles next (608). Philly proved a stronger, more consistent defense, and being dominant in the trenches is a key to success and a difference-maker to make good on that offensive performance.

It just so happens to be an area of need for the Bills as well.

 Two of the areas the Eagles were great on defense happen to be ones that Buffalo has had a need at both last offseason as well as the one they are now entering.

One is the pass rush and the other is the defensive line. While they certainly could also stand to add a veteran outside threat with speed to their receiver group like free agent Hollywood Brown, as well as another difference maker to their secondary on defense, the need to add sacks along with pressure and run defense at the line of scrimmage on defense could forecast some of the Bills offseason.

Edge Myles Garrett, a generational talent and one of the top sack-getters in the NFL over the course of his career, has requested a trade to a contender. Buffalo is competing to reach and win the Super Bowl and is not going to get a talent like that at their draft position due to the cost of being a successful playoff-contending team.

Packaging some current and future draft capital to acquire him may have already been on GM Brandon Beane’s radar, but Philly’s defensive performance may offer further precedent as teams that have 6+ sacks in a Super Bowl are also 8-0 all time.

Similarly, the dominant performance of the Eagles’ defensive line coupled with that being an area of need for Buffalo and the 2025 NFL Draft class being the deepest at that position might be telling as well of what position the Bills could address with one of their early-round selections. The same could be said about adding another difference-maker at defensive back, be it in the draft or through free agency or trade.

The Bills indicated their need for one more difference maker in the pass rush when they drafted Carlos “Boogie” Basham in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, as well as in the short-term FA deals they’ve handed out to pass rushers to try and fill that need. Adding Garrett to the current group would do that and more.

On the other side of the ball, the Birds have a top-constructed receiver corps for when passes get called. Buffalo needs to get better with situational passing play completions in a Joe Brady offense where players need to make those opportunities count when the ball is thrown their way.

While young targets like receiver Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid will work to improve this offseason toward taking the next step in their development at the pro level, re-signing a top veteran receiver like Amari Cooper could be a strong possibility as could bringing back Mack Hollins.

But adding a speedy outside threat in the draft or free agency would further open up the passing game in ways that are needed. Seeing the way that having a well-rounded receiver group or not had an impact and made a difference for the Eagles and Chiefs on offense could forecast moves at the position as well.