Bills QB Allen made an impression in upset of Vikings
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) helped his team upset the Vikings.
When veteran Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams saw Bills quarterback Josh Allen scramble up the middle on a third-and-9 from his own 36, Williams also saw that Minnesota linebacker Anthony Barr was coming to meet Allen head on right around the line to gain for the first down.
What Williams saw next just blew him away, something that the entire football nation would soon be seeing on every highlight show known to mankind.
Allen made like a high-hurdler and leaped right over Barr, who was homing in on Allen's chest. Allen made the first down to keep alive the Bills' drive on what became their third touchdown of the first half.
"I saw it," Williams said. His next thought? "Don't do it again. We need him."
That is certainly true as Allen earned the first victory of his NFL career with a masterful performance in Buffalo's shocking 27-6 road victory over the Vikings.
In leading the Bills to a 27-0 first-half lead, Allen completed 12 of 19 passes for 172 yards with one touchdown, and he also ran for a pair of scores, one coming on another athletic play, a 10-yard scramble around left end where he dove headlong to touch the pylon.
"He has that playmaking ability," said Bills right tackle Jordan Mills. "He works hard every day to prove those doubters wrong."
Allen definitely had doubters during the lead-up to the NFL Draft. The biggest knock was that he was a career 56.2 percent passer in college at Wyoming, and that came mostly against non-Power 5 conference competition. The draft gurus loved his size and his arm, but some doubted whether his mechanics could be fixed to the point where he would become a viable quarterback in the NFL - at least not by Week 3 of his rookie season.
It's way too early to make any judgments, but Allen is starting to change the narrative.
He mopped up in Buffalo's first game, entering with the Bills trailing the Ravens 40-0 in the third quarter. In Week 2, he made his first start against the Chargers, and while he threw for 245 yards and made a few nice plays, there were far more mistakes as he struggled to make quick decisions and didn't read coverages well enough.
But in Minnesota, in a tremendously hostile environment against one of the best defenses in the NFL, Allen looked like a 10-year veteran. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll devised a game plan that focused on quick passes, but he also didn't handcuff Allen. He gave him opportunities to take shots downfield if he saw the right coverage, and Allen obliged.
"There were obviously some good things for him," Daboll said Monday. "He was good with his reads for the most part."
Had the Bills' receivers not dropped four passes in the first half, two of which would have been touchdowns and another that might have gone for a score, Allen's numbers would have looked much better. As for his final numbers, it didn't look like much, but that's because the Bills put the passing game into mothballs in the second half and Allen attempted only three more passes (completing them all to finish with 196 yards) as Buffalo protected its lead.
"There's still a lot of plays I wish I could get back in this game," he said. "We have a lot to learn from, a lot to get better from, and when those opportunities present themselves, we have to take advantage of them."
As for the high-hurdler impersonation, Allen knows it was risky, and he was told so by coach Sean McDermott.
"I was trusting my feet and trusting my gut right then," he said. "There were guys about 3 yards from the sticks and I knew I had to get that first down. I think we went on to score on that drive, so obviously it was a big play."
All McDermott could do was smile when he was asked about the play.
"I don't think I've ever seen anything like that," he said
Monday.
"I thought Josh Allen played with great poise. He knows that he has a lot of work to do but I was pleased with how he handled yesterday. When you have success, confidence usually follows. It looked like he played with a clear mind, which is important for our young players. Josh, it's important that he comes in with a clear mind. There's going to be a learning process and you hate it, and there's some plays that we left out there today that we want back, but we have to learn from the, and continue to develop as a team."
--RB LeSean McCoy was inactive for the Vikings game due to cracked cartilage in his rib cage. McCoy suffered the injury in the Week 2 loss to the Chargers.
--QB Josh Allen earned his first NFL victory as he completed 15 of 22 passes for 196 yards with one TD passing and two rushing for a passer rating of 111.2.
-- RB Chris Ivory rushed 20 times for 56 yards and he also caught three passes for 70 yards, one of which was a 55-yarder that set up a Bills touchdown.
--TE Logan Thomas was inactive for the first time this season. He had two catches for 31 yards in the first two games, but was replaced by TE Khari Lee, who is a better blocker.
--CB Phillip Gaines did not play due to the dislocated elbow he suffered against Los Angeles.
--CB Ryan Lewis made the first start of his NFL career Sunday. He had been called up from the practice squad earlier in the week following the untimely retirement of Vontae Davis. He was in on two tackles and had a pass breakup.
--C Russell Bodine, who joined the Bills as a free agent but did not play in either of the first two games, replaced Ryan Groy as the starter. He left the game briefly with cramps, but returned.
--LB Matt Milano had a great game as he recorded a sack, an interception, a fumble recovery, and a pass breakup.
--DE Jerry Hughes had a good game. He was credited with 10 hurries, and he had a sack/forced fumble.
Recent Stories
Rams hard at work despite earning bye
The Los Angeles Rams will continue to stay hard at work despite earning a bye through the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.
Players will continue to visit the ...
Packers' lost season includes losing Rodgers to concussion
Green Bay's 6-9-1 season ended with Aaron Rodgers getting knocked out of Sunday's 31-0 loss to the Detroit Lions with a concussion. That was dubious and fitting ...
49ers will retain defensive coordinator Saleh
The San Francisco 49ers gave up a lot of points and did not force many turnovers, but Robert Saleh will return for his third season as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, ...
GM Licht says Winston is Bucs' quarterback
Dirk Koetter was fired as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' head coach on Sunday, but his quarterback will be staying.
General manager Jason Licht, who will lead the search ...
Chargers get another chance against Ravens
The Los Angeles Chargers didn't have to wait long for a chance to avenge their Week 16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Los Angeles was shut down by Baltimore's stout ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...