Josh Allen and company are rolling against the Patriots. Might the Bills be the team to fear in the AFC?
After the first game of the NFL playoffs came down to the final snap between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cincinnati Bengals, football fans settled in hoping for another thrilling contest in the night game between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.
Instead they might be reaching for the remotes before the second half begins.
Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense were dominant in the first half, and their teammates on the defensive side of the ball were almost as impressive, as the home team built a commanding 27-3 lead going into the break.
We can start with the Bills defense, which held New England to just three points in the first half and limited the Patriots to just four offensive plays in Bills’ territory over the first two quarters. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones completed 10 of 16 passes for 106 yards in the first half, and did have the Patriots at midfield on their first offensive possession, but that is when Micah Hyde delivered the first turnover of the game on this interception:
The “dots” from NFL’s NextGen Stats illustrate just how much ground Hyde covered to make the interception, preventing a potential touchdown to Nelson Agholor:
But the story of the first half, and potentially for the rest of the playoffs, is Allen and the Bills offense. The quarterback hit on 12 of 16 passing attempts for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and was Buffalo’s leading rusher in the first half, carrying the ball five times for 63 yards — an average of 12.6 yards per attempt — including a run of 26 yards.
Allen’s threat as a runner, highlighted earlier in the week and discussed during the buildup to this game by the New England defenders, was on display early. That 26-yard run came on Buffalo’s opening possession, getting the Bills deep into Patriots’ territory:
Allen and the Bills capped that drive with a touchdown, as the quarterback bought time rolling to his right before somehow finding Dawson Knox in the back corner of the end zone to open the scoring:
Some might argue that Allen was throwing this away, but I am going to just take a moment and believe in the power of the near-impossible.
After the Hyde interception, Allen and Knox again connected on this quick post route, giving the Bills an early 14-point lead:
Then late in the first half Allen again flashed his athleticism, juking a defender in the open field and giving the Bills another big play:
Perhaps most impressive from the Bills, beyond the play from their quarterback, is how their offensive line and running game have solidified down the stretch. Allen was not sacked at all by the Patriots — which might have been a design by New England to try and contain him and not offer him rushing lanes — but Devin Singletary added a pair of rushing touchdowns including this scamper before halftime to give the Bills the 27-point lead:
New England managed to end the first half with a field goal, giving them the slightest bit of momentum — if you could call it that — going into halftime. Perhaps with a touchdown drive to open the third quarter, they could set the stage for an epic comeback.
But Jones was intercepted, and the rout seemed to be on:
Indeed it was, as Allen and company wasted little time getting back into the end zone:
Earlier in the season, the Bills seemed to be in the same boat as the Kansas City Chiefs. They were struggling against some of the two-deep safety looks that were giving Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense troubles, and teams were still finding ways to pressure Allen when bringing just four after the quarterback.
When the Bills lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1, head coach Sean McDermott talked about his offensive line. “We didn’t win enough of our 1-on-1 matchups [on the offensive line],” said McDermott. “We won some, but not enough. We also have to do a better job helping them when we go against a talented front like that with our plan.”
Back in November, when looking at the Bills and their struggles to protect Allen, there was still some solace to be found:
Interestingly enough, the numbers this year tell a similar story. Allen’s Adjusted Completion Percentage of 63.2%, not a huge departure from last year when pressured, places him 17th in the league. He has also thrown for nine touchdowns, against just two interceptions, when pressured. And in terms of sack percentage, while he has been pressured a total of 107 times, he has been sacked on just 14 of those plays for a sack percentage of just 10.4%, second-lowest among qualified passers.
And that right there might be the solace that Bills fans are seeking this evening. Because Allen’s numbers when pressured in many ways mirror the numbers he posted under pressure last season, during a year when he was an MVP candidate and the Bills made a run to the AFC Championship game. So even with the struggles to win one-on-ones up front, and the issues against teams that can get pressure with four, there is still a path for success that lies in front of Allen and this offense.
Down the stretch, their offensive line started winning some of those one-on-ones McDermott referenced earlier in the year. That gave Allen more opportunities to do what he did tonight against the Patriots, which is show off what he can do both throwing the football, and running it.
That could make the Bills a dangerous out as these playoffs continue.
