Santonio Holmes believes the Buffalo Bills could be tough to stop in their quest to finally add their name to the Super Bowl roll of honor. The Bills famously reached four successive Super Bowls during the 1990s but were unable to get their hands on the prestigious trophy. They went into the 2022 season as one of the favorites to win the title and have made a solid start, winning two of their opening three games.
They were narrowly beaten by the Miami Dolphins in their most recent outing, although their offense looked extremely dangerous throughout the contest.
Despite the defeat, Holmes believes the Bills will get much stronger as the season progresses and has backed them to go all the way.
“I’m picking the Bills to finish in the top five in the NFL – I really do like their chances,” he said. “You’ve got to go to Buffalo in the wintertime, and it gets super cold. “I’ve been there, and that place gets very windy before the cold season. They’ve got all these elements that they can throw out against you when you go up to Buffalo, so you have to be prepared.”
Holmes knows what it takes to win the NFL championship, having helped the Pittsburgh Steelers achieve the feat at the end of the 2008 season.He was traded to the New York Jets in April 2010 and played a pivotal role as the team progressed to the AFC Championship against his former team. The Jets have had an extremely tough time of things since then, failing to reach the playoffs in any of the last eleven seasons.
Their 10-6 record during the 2015 campaign was the only time during that period where they came close to progressing to the post-season. They have made a sticky start to the 2022 season, sandwiching a narrow victory over the Cleveland Browns in between two defeats against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
The Jets were woeful against the Bengals, with the offensive line unable to give quarterback Joe Flacco to get the running game going. Wide receiver Garrett Wilson did his best to inject some positivity into the performance, but a knock to the ribs blunted his effectiveness in the second half. The defensive unit also struggled, allowing Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow the time and space to enjoy a hugely productive game.
With the coaching staff struggling to get the team to follow even basic instructions, the Jets could be in for another tough season in the NFL. Holmes believes the strength of the opposition in the division will make it difficult for the Jets to progress to the playoffs but is eager to see them prove him wrong.
“Starting off with the division, it’s tough when you’re dealing with Buffalo and New England,” added Holmes.
“Buffalo is up and coming, New England is becoming re-established, and you’ve also got a hard-nosed Dolphins team that can win with the best of them.
“So, as far as the Jets making it to the playoffs this year, man, very slim chance. But I’m always going to root for the Jets, and I hope that they do make it.”
