Josh

Allen

Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a touchdown, rush for a touchdown, and catch a touchdown in the convincing win. The receiving touchdowns go down without a reception after Allen completed a pass to Amari Cooper, who lateraled the football back to Allen after being held up at the seven. Allen did the rest as he dove to the front pylon. He would then achieve history in the fourth quarter, hitting the trifecta on an eight-yard touchdown plunge in driving snow. All and the Bills have rattled off seven consecutive wins to remain one game back of the Conference-leading Chiefs.

Allen and the Chiefs went back and forth all night, but late in the fourth quarter, with the Bills needing to convert a fourth-and-two, Allen put the team on his back to secure the win. After buying some time in the pocket, Allen took off past the line of scrimmage and immediately picked up the yards need for the first down, but he wasn’t done. The Bills’ QB1 continued downfield and evaded two defenders before laying his shoulder into safety Bryan Cook to punch in the 26-yard score. Allen was on top of his passing game as well, connecting with seven different pass-catchers on the night, with his lone touchdown pass coming on a 12-yard throw to Curtis Samuel. Allen and the Bills are riding high heading into their bye week, and will return in Week 13 to face the 49ers.

Allen doubled his season-long interception total today. While the first two interceptions Allen threw this season were both due to mistakes by the receiver, both picks today were on poor throws and decisions by Allen. Without Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman, and with Dalton Kincaid leaving with a knee injury in the first half, Allen chose to force the ball at times. It led to sputtering drives from the Buffalo offense, but Allen responded when he needed to with a crucial touchdown run and two huge first-down scrambles on the final scoring drive. With the Bills sitting at 8-2 and having their bye week after next week’s showdown with the Chiefs, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see all of Coleman, Cooper, and Kincaid rest through the bye, which would put Allen in a tough spot next week.

Allen’s three highest pass attempt totals have now come in the three games since the Bills acquired Amari Cooper. He’s also combined for just 12 rushes in that timespan. Cooper, of course, did not play this afternoon as he nursed a wrist injury, but it’s safe to say his arrival signaled a commitment to a more pass-first approach after months of middling returns as a run-based offense. Not that Allen’s running has been completely buried. He had a beautiful 21-yard ground score called back by a phantom holding penalty in the dying moments of the second quarter. It was enough to make a fantasy manager sick, but Allen compensated with boffo second half passing production, including all three of his scores. Allen was forced to target Mack Hollins far too often, while Keon Coleman (arm) joined Cooper on the shelf late. That will be something to monitor closely ahead of Week 10 against the Colts.

Allen posted a nearly spotless scoreline outside of the interception and a fumble that was recovered by Buffalo. Bills fans can somewhat rightfully blame the rain in Seattle for both plays. Amari Cooper slipped in the break of his route on the interception and Allen simply lost control of the football while scrambling for the fumble. While he’s not blameless for either outcome, both plays were excusable, especially when he picked apart the Seahawks on nearly every other play. Allen added 25 yards on seven carries as well and took just one sack. Had the Seahawks kept this game remotely close, Allen would have likely got to 300 passing yards for the second week in a row. Allen will remain one of the best fantasy options at his position for his Week 9 matchup with the Dolphins.

It was Allen’s first 300-yard passing effort of the season, no easy feat since he entered halftime 4-of-11 for 65 yards. That included a drop on Allen’s first ever throw to Amari Cooper. That duo rebounded for 4/66/1 after the break, while Allen also had his best day with Keon Coleman. Perhaps the rookie benefitted from the defensive attention shifted Cooper’s way. The only disappointment was Allen’s season-low ground usage, though he had a rushing touchdown called back after the officials stopped the play for a replay review of the previous snap. Today was basically exactly what the Bills and fantasy managers wanted to see following the Cooper acquisition. The Seahawks are a plus Week 8 matchup.

Allen and the Bills came out on top in a hard-fought game that had four lead changes, eventually retaking the lead with just under four minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Even with lead running back James Cook held out with a toe injury, the Bills rode the run game through Ray Davis, feeding the rookie 20 carries and three targets. Allen continually kept plays alive against the ferocious New York pass rush, connecting with Dawson Knox for a 12-yard touchdown on an extended play out of the pocket in the second quarter. Prime Rodgers magic then came to fruition as he connected with Allen Lazard on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half to send the two teams to the break at 20-17. Both teams managed lone field goals in the second half as the kickers struggled to tame the wind, leading to three total missed field goals. Either way, the Bills escape Week 6 in sole possession of first place in a crowded AFC East division before hosting the Titans in Week 7.

It was the lowest completion percentage of his career. Allen was let down by his receiving core for almost the entirety of the game — Mack Hollins was wide open for a score early in the game, while Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Dalton Kincaid also dropped some catches that would have turned the flow of the game. The Bills missed Khalil Shakir dearly. That isn’t to absolve Allen of blame entirely, he sailed a few throws as well. Allen also ducked into concussion protocol briefly in the fourth quarter after his helmet hit the back of the turf. Buffalo will look to regroup in Week 6 ahead of a Monday night test against the Jets, but at this point it should be noted that Buffalo’s best offensive game plans start with the running game.

Allen spent the entirety of the team’s Week 4 game under duress from a ferocious Baltimore pass rush, which worked in conjunction with a secondary that clamped down on separation to make life miserable for the veteran signal caller. The Ravens seemed to have an answer for everything on this night, even snuffing out a trick play on an end around pitch which resulted in Allen taking a massive hit and losing a fumble. Allen appeared to escape without injury after being examined on the sideline for more than five minutes, coming into the game on the following possession as normal. Furthermore, Allen’s box score was hindered by a couple of drops in key situations, one each by rookie Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid. The Bills will look to regroup before another difficult test on the road against the Texans in Week 5.

He did all of that despite being removed with 10 minutes left in the game. Quite simply, Josh Allen was electric in this one. He completed passes to nine different receivers and led Buffalo to touchdowns on their first five drives en route to a 34-3 lead at the half. For all the talk of turnovers, Allen has nine total touchdowns and no interceptions (one lost fumble) during the first three games. This Buffalo offense is absolutely humming in the first full season with Joe Brady as offensive coordinator, creating an offense with no alpha receiver but plenty of options on every single play that keeps defenses guessing. They’ll get a stiff test next week against the Ravens, but Allen seems like the clear QB1 in fantasy right now.