As they continue their strong push towards the season finale, there are some important questions being answered in Cincinnati. On Sunday afternoon, Brandon Allen answered a lingering roster question, when he proved the part as the Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback.
The Cincinnati Bengals Backup Quarterback Job Looks Like It Belongs To Brandon Allen
The Bengals already have the biggest roster question answered: Joe Burrow is fully capable of being their franchise quarterback. However, another roster question at the same position seems to have yielded an answer. After four starts as the backup quarterback appears to have a clear favorite of the job, on he earned.
Prior to the season, the Cincinnati Bengals backup role was one of the bleakest in the NFL. Ryan Finley and Jake Dolegala battled it out in training camp for the job, but by all accounts, neither truly grasped the role. Now, it looks like Brandon Allen, who the team signed as a COVID-19 protection plan, is the perfect man for the job.
In his four starts for Cincinnati, Allen hasn’t been perfect, but he’s done an admirable job. Though the team is swept with the injury bug, especially on offense, Brandon Allen stands tall and delivers.
So far, Allen has thrown for 877 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Interestingly, Allen has outranked Burrow in a number of key passing categories. Allen leads Burrow in completion percentage (69.4% to 65.3%), yards per attempt (7.2 to 6.5), touchdown percentage (4.1% to 3.2%), and sack percentage (5.5% to 7.3%).
Certainly, he’s no Burrow. The leadership and closer’s mentality from Burrow is impossible for Allen to match. However, the team learned this season how valuable a talented backup can be, as they’re helping Cincinnati win games down the stretch.
Heading into the future, the Bengals need to find more ways to win games. Allen gives them another way to win.
Winning in Houston Sealed the Deal for Allen
Navigating a tricky season as the team’s reserve quarterback to become their starter, Brandon Allen shows poise and patience. His Bengals teammates are rewarding Allen for his patience by making big plays.
Leading the team’s offensive attack against the Houston Texans, Allen delivered his team one of the best quarterback performances since Zac Taylor took over as head coach.
On Sunday afternoon, it wasn’t just that Allen posted gaudy numbers. He hit such a wide variety of players with different passes, adding an extra layer to his impressive day. Allen completed passes to seven different receivers, including one to Trenton Irwin, who played his second NFL game on Sunday.
Further, he connected on big plays with some of the key members of the roster. A.J. Green grabbed a 33-yard catch on a beautiful seed down the sideline. He hit Tee Higgins on a beautiful 20-yard ball in the corner of the endzone for a touchdown. He found Alex Erickson in the middle of the for a 42-yard connection.
OH MY TEE HIGGINS!!
📺: #CINvsHOU on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/IFHvVPw7XT pic.twitter.com/InJCGkWQjO— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020
He was nominated for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week after the victory. He’ll compete against Andy Dalton and Tom Brady for this week’s honor in fan voting. The fact that Allen joins two starting-level quarterbacks, including a first-ballot Hall of Famer, is impressive.
There Isn’t Much of a Debate Between Finley and Allen at This Point
In training camp, Brandon Allen wasn’t even in question for the backup quarterback job. That’s what makes his development this season all the more encouraging.
After Burrow went down against the Washington Football Team and Ryan Finley struggled in relief, Taylor gave the job to Allen. In response, Allen just continues to impress.
Importantly, Brandon Allen has the right attitude about the situation as a whole. After the Bengals win over Houston, he said, “obviously, we put together a great game last week with Ryan in there, and he played perfectly for that style of game and got a big win there. Then I think him getting that win against the Steelers really gave guys such a boost of confidence, and then even this week, going into this week, I think there was such a high level of confidence that we can beat any team we go play. I think we’re such a connected team in that locker room, and we kind of keep all that other outside noise right where it is, outside.”
What Will It Take for the Cincinnati Bengals To Re-Sign the Backup This Off-Season?
Looking ahead, the Bengals face a crucial off-season. They need to find players who can take them to the next level, to help lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
While a backup quarterback isn’t always top of mind for fans, it’s a huge role for the team to fill in chasing the playoffs. Having someone who can stand and deliver sharp performances for a few games if a team’s started is banged up is important.
Often times, these positions aren’t huge splashes of cash. Still, Andy Dalton is making only $3 million this season as the backup and an insurance policy for the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback job belongs to Brandon Allen. Signing him to a multi-year deal at an affordable rate isn’t only wise, but generally logical.
Also, if Burrow isn’t ready to go at the start of 2021’s season, it helps the Bengals quite a bit. Allen is familiar with the offense. He can get the team comfortable early in the season. He does enough to win games. Allen gives Cincinnati an affordable insurance policy in an era where they want to compete for Super Bowls. It seems like a smart move for the organization to come to terms on a deal with Allen this off-season.
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