A season ago, turnovers were an issue for Josh Allen.
As Buffalo Bills They were 5-5 going into the final week and faced with a possible playoff berth and disappearing chances, and offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was replaced after their fifth loss. Monday Night Football With Russell Wilson Denver BroncosStill, Dorsey was part of a larger problem for Buffalo's offense.
Another big issue is turnovers. Monday Night Football In the loss to Denver, the Bills lost the ball four times, with two fumbles and two interceptions by Allen. Allen committed three turnovers that night, and while the Bills bounced back and made the playoffs by the end of the season, Allen was 2nd in NFL turnovers He is second only to Sam Howell at quarterback.
Allen and the Bills are back. Monday Night Football Against Jacksonville Jaguars His performance last night was a far cry from the turnover machine he was last season. Allen completed 23 of 30 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns on Monday night, giving him seven touchdowns and no interceptions this season. This year, Allen is completing 75% of his passes for 634 yards and a 92.6 QBR. Leading the NFLAllen leads the NFL with an astounding 10.32 adjusted net yards per possession. RBSDM That combination of expected points per play and above-expected completion percentage puts Allen near-exceptional, in the realm only Patrick Mahomes can match.
Monday night was a symbol of Allen's success this season. Allen made a pass early in the game, right from the get-go. Allen noticed the Jaguars were in man coverage and quickly spun a pass out of the backfield to James Cook on a wheel route, knowing that linebacker Devin Lloyd wouldn't be able to cover Cook because of the traffic created by wide receiver Mack Hollins. And the Bills got off to a strong run on the opening play.
Buffalo drove straight down the field and reached the end zone on their opening possession, thanks in large part to offensive coordinator Joe Brady's creative use of motion, and on that fourth-down play, Jacksonville completely lost sight of Khalil Shakir before the snap, leaving him completely free on the left side of the field: Watch as the receiver moves from right to left across the formation, appears to cross the formation again, then turns around and releases into the left flat.
The cornerback was chasing Shaquill on the move and completely lost sight of him, giving the Bulls a new down.
Allen's first touchdown came on the kind of play we've become accustomed to seeing from Bills passers. With Buffalo facing third-and-goal from the Jacksonville 6-yard line, Allen made sure all his options were covered in the end zone first. He made a smart run to his right, looked deep into the field and found Dalton Kinkaid in motion in the back of the end zone. Allen fired a strike on the move and the Bills were on the scoreboard again.
Allen's second touchdown of the day, a 24-yard pass to rookie Keion Coleman, was another example of how difficult it is to defend the Bills quarterback. Buffalo ran a play-action concept under center with Coleman and Hollins running mid-range crossing routes. Jacksonville applied pressure in man coverage, and with the right edge of the pocket weakened, Allen couldn't step in to get the pass.
If your right arm is a rocket, this isn't an issue at all.
Buffalo closed out the first half with its fifth touchdown in two drives. Allen passed to running back Ty Johnson on a vertical route out of the backfield for his fourth touchdown of the game. The Jaguars again pressured Allen, forcing him out of position in the pocket, but the quarterback slid left to buy time and, with a flick of the wrist, threw a perfect pass to Johnson in the front corner of the end zone for six points.
Video game related.
The Bills are currently riding a 3-0 record and look to be the most dangerous team in the NFL. Granted, there's a long way to go between now and the playoffs, and NFL history is replete with examples of September champions falling in the closing stages.
But more importantly for Buffalo, Allen is in great form and has played like an MVP this early in the season.
That should worry the rest of the AFC, if not the rest of the league, more than anything else.
