Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - As usual, there is more that went wrong in a loss like Monday night’s than just the colossal errors in judgement by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. However, his recklessness destroyed them against the New York Jets.
Four turnovers in all, and, at least, three of them were entirely avoidable. One of the interceptions only stunk a little less than the others.
Can I get another round of stories full of quotes from teammates and coaches about Allen’s mental approach to the season being noticeably better this summer?
I’m not suggesting the people saying those things haven’t observed what they’re quoted as seeing. It’s just there were almost no signs of it in this game, almost from the start.
Yes, the Jets defense is extremely challenging and the pass rush was a problem, but right from the get-go, I think there were signs Allen was way to wound up on Monday.
Eerily scrambles presented opportunities to protect himself from defenders, and instead, Allen seemed to welcome the contact.
This was maybe most evident on a 3rd-and-13 scramble late in the second quarter. Already well within field goal range, Allen was hemmed in far short of the first down and went airborne in an attempt to hurdle defenders to pick up an extra meaningless yard.
Did he think he was going to fly for seven more yards? What kind of decision is that?
I’ll tell you what it’s not: Measured, mature, level-headed, responsibly taking care of the ball. It’s definitely not any of those.
That nothing bad happened on the play and the Bills still got their field goal isn’t the point. The point is their quarterback was playing like some overlooked kid trying to get noticed on a playground.
The interceptions, especially the long ones, hoo boy. I don’t know what to tell you other than if you’re dismissing them as "arm punts," you’re missing it. On neither play can you convince me Allen actually saw either Deonte Harty or Stefon Diggs running open. There were clearly two defenders on the scene on both attempts.
On the first, it appeared Allen could’ve walked to an easy first down and kept the drive going. On the second one, it looks like Allen felt the pressure and chose to unload instead of escaping the pocket and extending the play.
Both throws had a certain "what the heck" sort of vibe to them that you simply do not need in a game you’re winning, and the opposing quarterback is Zach Wilson and his stupid Karate Kid headband.
The third pick is a bit more nuanced. Yes, it’s a poorly executed throw.
The telecast did a good job of explaining what went wrong on this one. Allen leaves the ball too far inside, making for an easy third interception for Jordan Whitehead, who, by the way, earned a cool $250,000 incentive in the first game of the season.
As pointed out on TV by ESPN color analyst Troy Aikman, the intended receiver on the play, Gabe Davis, did Allen no favors by running his route with absolutely zero deception. Maybe if Davis even slightly fakes like he might go across Whitehead to the middle of the field, the route opens up. Even with the ball being misplaced inside, it could still have been a successful play.
Instead, the play unfolded in front of the Jets safety like he’s probably watched on film hundreds of times and jumped it.
Maybe it’s too much to ask, I don’t know, but that play may have been a good time to reveal the Bills also study tape and run that same look, but rather than have Davis stay outside, actually bust up the middle of the field when Whitehead is jumping the route. Maybe that’s your easy deep throw.
I know, I know, easy to say from here.
What do you want to read about the fumble? Just an awful mistake to miss the snap, compounded by, yet again, a desire to try and do too much.
As for the other stuff that was troubling, yes, the run defense should not give up 85-yard runs. I also was not a fan of running the ball on 2nd-and-15 in overtime. In addition, the punt coverage whiffed on the game-winning return.
But the quarterback, man. On a night where all of the emotion got drained out of the stadium four plays into Aaron Rodgers' debut with the Jets, what the Bills needed was a calm, steady hand at the controls.
Instead, they got rookie hero ball Allen, and it absolutely killed them.
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