QB Josh Allen
Another run of the mill day for Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen. An all-around good game? No. A game where, in the end, he gave the Bills a chance and made a hand full of throws that made you believe he can continue improving? Yup.
Allen finished the contest only 13-for-26 passing but had some impressive tosses, especially down the field, to John Brown and Dawson Knox, namely. Allen also had two touchdown passes and in comparison to his first game against the Patriots this year, he didn’t turn over the ball. That’s big since he had multiple turnovers in Week 4 against them.
OC Brian Daboll
Like his quarterback, Brian Daboll has had some up-and-down reviews this season but Week 16 seemed to be an impressive gameplan.
As mentioned, Cole Beasley was heavily involved in this game, and that’s likely because Daboll knew the Pats’ starting slot cornerback, Jonathan Jones, was out. Keying in on Beasley was a smart move.
In addition, Daboll had some bold plays called. Allen’s pass to Knox came at the end of the first half, when the Bills traditionally pack things in and go to halftime. Instead, Buffalo went for it and it paid off. Speaking of that drive, it ended on a trick-play touchdown to Dion Dawkins.
Finally, Daboll also gave up on Frank Gore. Last week Gore was fed the ball in the red zone and continued to go no where. While Gore is a fantastic story, he just hasn’t gotten it going in recent weeks and Daboll finally acknowledged that.