Josh Allen, Bills win, ‘bounce back from the adversity’

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – As Buffalo Bills receiver Khalil Shakir crossed the goal line and ran into the end zone, Josh Allen had already passed the Jets’ 40-yard line as he sprinted downfield. The quarterback quickly made his way to the back of the end zone with other Bills teammates, giving Shakir a big hug and shaking him by the helmet.

The celebration occurred just past the halfway point of the third quarter in the Bills’ 32-6 win over the New York Jets after an 81-yard touchdown run from Allen to Shakir, the longest play from scrimmage in the league This year.

A big celebration after a big touchdown usually doesn’t seem like a big deal. This happens all the time. But for the Bills offense, the focus was on energy and fun on the field heading into the game against the Jets. “An overall energy about our offense and our confidence” is what coach Sean McDermott said he was looking for after firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey Tuesday morning.

After what Allen said was “not an easy week,” the entire Bills team showed the energy McDermott alluded to in the days leading up to the game.

“I think our team was energetic like we needed to be and, you know, a lot of that, for better or worse, can come from the quarterback, so make that a big point throughout of the week,” Allen said. “Let’s have fun playing this game. It’s football at the end of the day. We can do, in my opinion, the most incredible job on the planet and that’s come here and play football.”

With interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady in the booth and calling plays for the first time for the Bills, the emphasis on energy showed, as the team scored its most points since Week 4 and the most points the Jets have allowed since December 5, 2021.

“Every season, man, has its ups and downs,” Allen said. “You’re going to face adversity. That’s how you bounce back from adversity. And sometimes it takes a spark like that to ignite your team.”

While the Bills are still out of the playoffs at the moment, with a game against the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday and then a game against the Kansas City Chiefs after a bye week, improving the team’s record by the AFC (3-5) and that of the AFC East. (2-2) was important for any path to the playoffs.

“We needed it to get back on the train, to start the train,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. “So we were off the train and now we’re on the train and the train is moving forward.”

Despite three field goals inside the Jets’ 30-yard line on the game’s first three drives, the 16 points the Bills scored in the first half were their second most since Week 4 (17 against the Buccaneers). Buffalo then came out of halftime and put together back-to-back touchdown drives, including Shakir’s score.

All of this was led by Allen, who finished the game completing 20 of 32 passes for 275 yards, three passing touchdowns and one interception (a deep throw downfield late in the first half). . With the Jets turning the ball over four times, the Bills ended their six-game losing streak in the turnover battle.

“I saw a little more [Allen’s] personality and the personality of our offense,” McDermott said. “And that has nothing to do with what happened before with Coach Dorsey. It’s just about getting back to some offensive energy and guys having fun, and I thought the offensive staff did a really good job of putting together a game plan that guys felt good about and could execute it , and basically I thought we did a good job with the line of scrimmage as well. »

With Brady calling plays, the Bills involved a variety of players, from second-year running back James Cook tying his season high of 17 carries (73 rushing yards plus three receptions with a receiving touchdown) to running back Ty Johnson catching a 28-yard touchdown. Rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid continues to be a key cog in the offense and now has five straight games with five or more receptions (six receptions for 46 yards), one of four Bills to do so since 1970.

In the slot, the Bills have had success with Shakir, with all three of his receptions coming when he lined up in the slot. He has 288 receiving yards over his last four games after totaling 236 receiving yards in his first 21 career games combined.

The offensive performance came despite Stefon Diggs catching four passes on eight targets for 27 yards and wide receiver Gabe Davis finishing without a target despite playing the most snaps of any receiver (87.3 % of offensive plays).

“I thought I didn’t try to force anything,” Allen said. “Trusting the guys around me to make plays and that’s what we did tonight.”

The task for Brady and the Bills offense moving forward is to keep mistakes to a minimum and energy and confidence high.

The Bills tend to win in spectacular fashion and have been aided by strong defensive performances despite various injuries. They are the 166th team to have a margin of more than 100 points through 11 games in a season, but their six wins are tied for the fewest of these teams (1967 Chiefs).

The win over the Jets was the Bills’ fourth this season by 25 or more points, tied for the most in a season in franchise history (1992, 2021).

Building on that energy will be key as they face the toughest remaining force on the schedule, according to ESPN Analytics, and a number of higher-scoring offenses.

“Josh has always been the guy that gets us going, that says something first, whether it’s him or Diggs or somebody else, but I mean, tonight it was non-stop,” said Shakir. “It was fun. It was fun operating the way we were playing tonight and 17 was the big boss of it all, so enjoy it.”