1 day Ago By Nick Sabato | [email protected]
ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills knew what they wanted to run on fourth and 3. They talked about it the night before. Josh Allen messed up the play call and had to call a timeout.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady called the same play and the Miami Dolphins gave them the defense desired, resulting in a 17-yard touchdown pass to running back James Cook. Allen put the blame on himself, but he recognized the situation rather than attempting to power through it. In Week 1, Allen saw man-to-man coverage with no safety in the middle of the field against the Arizona Cardinals, made an audible and hit Mack Hollins for a touchdown pass.
Allen has seemed in complete control of the offense during the first two weeks of the season and his enhanced understanding of what defenses are offering has led him to play relatively mistake-free. Allen had a sack-fumble against the Cardinals, but he has not thrown an interception thus far. It’s the first time since Week 15 of the 2022 season — a span of 19 games — that Allen has gone consecutive regular-season games without an interception.
“Now I think all teams are doing something similar and I feel like I haven’t seen anything new over the last couple years,” Allen said. “..
. Going back to when Coach (Brian) Daboll was here my first year; the defense can play two things: they can play man or zone (coverages). I’m trying to keep it as simplistic as possible and I’ve kind of utilized that approach since I’ve been here.
” Who has the higher totals this year: Josh Allen total TDs or Tage Thompson goals? Josh Allen passing TDs or Alex Tuch goals? @BillHoppeNHL discuss that, the #Bills win over Miami and a lookahead to Jacksonville, while the #Sabres are set to open camp. https://t.co/JX2W91XLSO When quarterbacks make the jump from college to the NFL, many feel the biggest adjustment is learning to decipher defenses.
NFL teams are more adept at showing one coverage pre-snap and switching it when the play begins. There is still value in a young quarterback sitting behind a veteran to see how they operate in those situations, but it’s a lot different once the quarterback is in live situations. Buffalo Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky did a little of both after being selected second overall by the Chicago Bears in 2017.
Allen, of course, became Buffalo’s starter in Week 2 of 2018 and then watched veterans Derek Anderson and Matt Barkley while recovering from an elbow injury for four games. Still, Allen seemed untamed at times during his first two seasons, trading feats of athleticism and arm strength for foolish decisions. “You just have to be a quick thinker and a quick processor,” Trubisky told the Gazette after practice Wednesday.
“It’s a lot different than in college, where you might already know where you’re going pre-snap, but post-snap, the picture’s going to change in the NFL almost every time and it does a lot quicker.” Since his first two seasons, Allen has lowered his interception rate from 3% to 2% and increased his touchdown percentage from 4% to 6%. While altering his footwork and throwing mechanics helped, Allen’s understanding of defenses also led to a jump from a 56.
3% completion rate in his first two seasons to 65.7% over the last five seasons. Early in Allen’s career, preparing for opposing defenses was often a challenge.
Teams would frequently change a strategy used over the course of the season to throw Allen and the Bills through a loop. Now teams are frequently showing a two-high safety look more often than not, although Allen joked the Jacksonville Jaguars might try to switch it up Monday after his comments. But since teams are showing the same looks so often, Allen has a much easier job processing the defense post-snap.
“There’s a lot of times I’m up in the box and I might see it one way and I’m like, ‘How the heck did he see that?’” Brady said. “He’s got so much time on task with it and being able to recognize something pre-snap to then pulling the trigger post-snap, it’s really fun to watch. When he’s playing at a high level, good things happen.
” Getting the same looks each week does require more discipline from Allen. Teams across the league — including the Bills — have transitioned to more two-high safety looks to cap big throws downfield and force teams to score on 10- or 12-play drives. A player with an arm like Allen’s can get frustrated operating in a conservative approach and it often leads to taking greater risks.
Allen has thrown 32 interceptions since the start of 2022 and opponents showed two-high safeties pre-snap 18 of them, with only six changing to a different coverage post-snap. Playing a disciplined style also means handing the ball off more often. Allen’s 42 passing attempts are the fewest of any starter this season, and though the Bills have not only faced unusual circumstances in opponents running 32 more plays, they have also been able to run the ball effectively at 119 yards per game.
League-wide, teams are averaging less than one more rushing attempt per game than last season, but yards per game have jumped from 112.7 to 124.9.
Passing yards have also dropped from 218.9 last season to 193.6 through the first two weeks this year.
Despite his attempts decreasing, the running game eventually forces defenses to soften up. Allen’s 8.8 yards per attempt is more than a yard better than his career average (7.
2) and his 12 yard per completion are the most since his rookie year. “Running is in high-demand right now,” Allen said. “It helps you do a lot of different things.
As we continue to run the ball effectively, we’ll have more opportunities to hit downfield.” NOTES: RB James Cook was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. .
.. LB Terrel Bernard (pectoral) and CB Taron Johnson (forearm) will not play against the Jaguars, but no decision has been made about placing either player on injured reserve, according to Bills coach Sean McDermott.
.
