Josh Allen played collegiately at Wyoming. So in evaluating his first-ever NFL regular season start, it’s only fitting to use a reference to one of Hollywood’s most famous Westerns.
One can certainly do so. Because in the Buffalo Bills‘ 31-20 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, there were both positives and negatives from his performance along with some ugliness. That shouldn’t be too surprising. After all, he’s a rookie quarterback getting thrust into the limelight two weeks into the season.
The crowd of 69,187 at New Era Field saw Allen complete 54.5 percent of his passes for 245 yards. While he threw two interceptions, he ended the game on a high note. His final pass of the day was a three-yard dart to Kelvin Benjamin that made the final scoreline pretty respectable. That’s especially true considering the 44-point mauling they endured at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens last week.
So what elements of Allen’s performance on Sunday resemble that of Blondie? Which ones are akin to Angel Eyes? And is there anything that can be compared to Tuco?
Josh Allen’s First NFL Start: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
The ability to sustain drives is going to be an immense challenge for Allen given the state of the Bills offensive line. That much was evident during the preseason and not much has changed through two games. Buffalo’s already given up 11 sacks, causing concern that Allen might supplant David Carr as the most sacked quarterback during a single season in NFL history.
But thus far, in spite of all this pressure from opposing pass rushers, Allen has shown promise in moving the chains. Last week, on the Bills’ second drive that featured Allen after he replaced a woefully ineffective Nathan Peterman, he led the team on a 12-play, 46-yard drive that resulted in Buffalo’s only points of the game.
And despite a few empty possessions on Sunday, it continued at times against the Chargers. Two of the Bills’ 11 drives were 10+ plays, including the one that resulted in Allen’s first career touchdown throw. The two drives which began and ended the second half culminated with touchdowns, a half where Buffalo outscored LA 14-3.
Two things that scouts loved about Allen really jumped out on Sunday: his ability to complete deep balls and his mobility. The former was evident on a 57-yard bomb he completed to Zay Jones, the longest such catch of the second-year receiver’s career.
JOSH ALLEN 💣 #GoBills pic.twitter.com/68QMLFryC3
— LastWordOnNFL (@LastWordOnNFL) September 16, 2018
He also exhibited a knack for extending plays with his legs. He did so multiple times on the Bills’ first touchdown of the young season. And for the second straight week, he finished as the Bills second-leading rusher.
The Bad
Let’s face it. Starting a rookie, even the ones who seem the most pro-ready, will ostensibly carry with it growing pains. One of the Bills’ divisional rivals found that out on Sunday. New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, after a fantastic debut on Monday Night Football (opening pick six notwithstanding), came down to Earth in Week Two against the Miami Dolphins. The USC product threw two interceptions in his team’s 20-12 loss.
And so it really isn’t too surprising to see Allen make throws at this point in his career that leaves you scratching your head. A few certainly qualified against the Chargers. The first clear-cut example came late in the third quarter with the Bills in field goal range. Facing third and four, Allen immediately found himself trying to escape Melvin Ingram after the snap. As Ingram wrapped him up, Allen hastily threw it downfield and into the hands of Adrian Phillips.
That’s not the type of decision-making you want to see out of your starter. Since Allen got flushed out of the pocket, he’s not subject to an intentional grounding penalty. Chuck the ball into the stands and give Stephen Hauschka a chance to put points on the board. There’s no doubt this falls into the rookie mistake department. But it wasn’t his only one.
Midway through the fourth quarter, with the Bills pinned deep at their own two, Allen dropped back to pass and looked to his left. It was the only area of the field he surveyed before deciding to throw the ball towards Jason Croom. Not only that, but he severely underthrew it. It’s no surprise, then, that another rookie, Kyzir White, registered the first interception of his young career.
Okay, @KyzirWhite8! #LACvsBUF | #FightForEachOther pic.twitter.com/P3hf5B28Xh
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 16, 2018
One of the chief concerns scouts had about Allen centered around his ability to anticipate where pockets of space open up downfield. This second interception is a prime example. It’s something Allen has to clean up moving forward if he wants to maximize his potential.
The Ugly
Certain things in life are just cringe-worthy by their very nature. In the NFL, seeing your starting quarterback venture headlong into unnecessary contact falls into that category. There are very few signal callers like Cam Newton in the NFL and even Carolina Panthers fans likely shudder every time he takes a big hit on quarterback keepers.
Which brings us to Allen. There’s no doubting his mobility which has already been discussed. It’s a simple fact of life that he’s going to take it and run every once in a while when passing options don’t materialize downfield. But if Sunday’s game is any indication, he must do a better job at minimizing the number of hits he subjects himself to.
Today’s NFL is as friendly to quarterbacks when it comes to contact from opposing defenders as it’s ever been. But at the same time, they can still put themselves in harm’s way if they decide to run the ball themselves. The best way to mitigate that risk? Just slide, baby. Allen needs to take note or else he’s risking injury. And that’s a horrifyingly ugly prospect given the Bills’ quarterback situation behind Allen.
