Tag: josh allen touchdown

The rest of the NFL has a Josh Allen problem

Josh Allen showed amazing development in his third NFL season. His fourth started out with several big bangs.

Yes, we know it’s the preseason. Yes, we know the Packers sat just about every starter on defense. But Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a DAY against Green Bay in his preseason finale, and there are two throws in particular which indicate just how far Allen has come, and the kinds of problems he presents for the rest of the NFL.

On the first drive against the Packers, Allen completed 10 of 11 passes, and the Bills didn’t run once. It was clear that offensive coordinator Brian Daboll — who is less than a calendar year from getting a head coaching job somewhere in the NFL — wanted to get Allen some reps before the Bills take on the Steelers in Week 1 of the regular season. Allen hadn’t thrown a pass in Buffalo’s first two preseason games, but if he was rusty at all, it sure didn’t show.

That first drive ended with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Allen to receiver Gabe Davis, and while the arm talent came as no surprise, it was the timing and anticipation of the throw that showed Allen’s development as an NFL quarterback.

From a second angle (yes, we know it’s not actually 8k), you can better see just how well Allen manipulated the defense, and how nice the timing of the throw was. Allen lets this go before Davis is open, and when you combine vision and velocity to this degree, that’s an extremely dangerous combination.

Velocity and vision? A great combination. But Allen has also improved his touch, especially on the move, and there’s no better example than this pass to Cole Beasley. Allen does a great job of throwing across his body with pace and rhythm, making his receiver’s job that much easier. This might be a pick if Allen was still a one-speed guy, but it’s clear that he isn’t that anymore.

“Yeah, they did a good job,” general manager Brandon Beane said in the Bills’ television booth before the game was over. “Daboll didn’t pull any punches, as he likes to do, and I thought Josh and the first team did a really good job of controlling it and taking shots when they were there.”

Allen finished his first 2021 game with 20 completions in 26 attempts for 194 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a perfect precursor to his fourth regular season. He’s also made it clear, as if it wasn’t already, that the rest of the NFL officially has a Josh Allen problem, and it will not be easy to solve.