Josh Allen gets candid about his play and identifies what must change for the Bills to reach true Super Bowl contention
You don’t hear this everyday from the reigning MVP.
The Buffalo Bills have a unicorn at quarterback in Josh Allen. Since his arrival in the league, he’s ascended to one of the best at his position and has become a saving grace in Buffalo. Before Allen arrived, it was a quarterback carousel in Western New York with fans patiently waiting for the next franchise quarterback to come in and make a difference. The rest, as they say, is history.
That’s not to say that Allen has been perfect, and it’s something that he opened up about with a huge admission ahead of the upcoming playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterbacks of Allen’s stature rarely offer that level of self-criticism, especially considering the playoffs are about to start. Most shield themselves with coach-speak or focus on team execution rather than comment on their own mistakes.
Allen did the opposite. He owned the details with his footwork, decision-making, and missed opportunities, in a way that’s uncommon for an MVP-caliber quarterback. Once again proving he’s in a league of his own.
“And I came away, honestly, God, there’s so much out there that I’ve missed,” Allen said. “Whether it’s getting a little lazy with my feet and not taking a checkdown, and maybe instead trying to force something downfield, or throwing the ball away and not taking sacks and allowing us to be in field goal range.”
Josh Allen opens up on where he needs to improve heading into the playoffs
Allen understands what’s most important once the playoffs roll around: finding a way to get points.
“There’s still so much room to improve, and I think I just have this extra emphasis, like I said, points are at a premium in the playoffs, and just trying to do everything I can to give us points,” Allen said.
That’s when the franchise quarterback had perhaps his most hilarious and most introspective analysis thus far. Respectfully to Allen, we’d have to agree with his sentiment. He doesn’t stink, but there have been some plays that have been left out on the field.
“You’re sitting there like God, I stink, what am I thinking here, what am I doing?” Allen said. “The film was never as good, it’s never as bad as you think it’s going to be. Going into it just trusting reads, trusting feet, trusting eyes, trusting my teammates, I think that’s what it kind of comes down to.”
No. 17 puts everything into perspective heading into huge playoff matchup against the Jaguars
Allen was sure to give the Jacksonville Jaguars their flowers. The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in football with an elite defense that’s been wreaking havoc throughout the eight-game stretch. Once again, Allen is focused on the bigger picture.
“As we get into the playoffs, it was a very helpful exercise to do,” Allen said. “Again, every team that we’re playing here on out is a good team. It’s no different this week; they got a really good D-Line. They’re making a lot of plays in the back; they forced a lot of turnovers throughout the year. Making sure that we’re doing everything in our power to make sure that each drive ends in a kick.”
At the end of the day, that level of self-awareness is exactly why the Bills believe they can make a deep run. Allen doesn’t need to be perfect; he needs to be smart, decisive, and efficient. Something Allen has done is become one of the most elite quarterbacks in NFL history, based on his playoff performances to date. If he’s doing that, Buffalo’s margin for error grows, and its ceiling rises when it matters the most.
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