Computer updates Bills' projected win total

After going 18 years between postseason appearances, the Buffalo Bills made the NFL playoffs for the second time in three seasons after a 10-6 regular season in 2019. Buffalo rode a dominant defense (No. 2 in points allowed and No. 3 in yards allowed) and a solid rushing attack (No. 8 in the NFL) all season long before losing an overtime slug fest to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card.

Now they enter the 2020 season with the arrow pointing upward thanks to a talented defense and a young quarterback with incredible physical tools. And with it looking likely Tom Brady would leave the division just before the start of the new league year, the Bills made the organizational decision that it was time to make aggressive moves to get to the top of the AFC East.

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The Bills began their 2020 NFL offseason by addressing the biggest elephant in the room and grabbing Josh Allen a No. 1 wide receiver, trading a first-round pick and a trio of mid-to-late-round picks to the Vikings in exchange for Stefon Diggs and a seventh-rounder. And despite the hefty price tag, there's little question that the Bills made a serious improvement by adding a bonafide big-play receiver to their offense.

However, the Bills weren't even close to done making impactful signings, focusing the bulk of their efforts on the defensive side of the ball after losing defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and defensive end Shaq Lawson in free agency. They signed outside linebacker Mario Addison, defensive tackle Vernon Butler, defensive end Quinton Jefferson, outside linebacker A.J. Klein, cornerback Josh Norman and inside linebacker Tyler Matakevich to deals worth roughly $91.1 million combined.

And Buffalo still has roughly $20.8 million in estimated cap space remaining while only having $4.6 million in expected cap commitments for their seven picks in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft. If they can somehow score a starting-caliber tight end and another receiver to add to the mix (either via the draft, free agency or via trade) with Stefon Diggs and John Brown, they should have the makings of a dangerous offense.

Of course, we already know that Sean McDermott makes sure his defenses are prepared and with several new toys (some of which he knows well from his time in Carolina), that should be a top unit again. So, after an offseason where it appears they've improved immensely, Buffalo should be in a position to contend for the AFC East crown in 2020 and may wind up being another new entry in the challenge for AFC supremacy.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulated the 2020 NFL schedule 10,000 times and the Bills win an average of 9.9 games in those simulations and make the postseason 77.7 percent of the time while winning the AFC East 54.3 percent of the time. That is a small jump from the 9.6 projected wins the model predicted prior to the start of free agency. Meanwhile, William Hill Sportsbook currently lists the Bills at 20-1 to win the 2021 Super Bowl, which is tied for ninth-best odds in the NFL.