Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills did enough to beat a spritely and fesity Miami Dolphins squad in the Orchard Park snow on Saturday night. In what was a ridiculous day of games – the Minnesota Vikings storming back to beat the Indianapolis Colts had to be seen to be believed – in what was an absolutely wild weekend in the NFL, the Bills emerged from the blizzard conditions still holding on to the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
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Josh Allen Dominates Late
The importance of going three for three in consecutive weeks against AFC East opponents cannot be overstated. The Bills have put space between themselves and their division rivals and maintained their position ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and the surging Cincinnati Bengals regarding home-field advantage in the playoffs. The Bengals could have something to say about this when they host the Bills in a couple of weeks, but with the way Josh Allen mastered the snowy conditions on Saturday, Bills fans should feel great about the current form of their quarterback.
An elbow injury earlier in the season slowed Allen down to the point he was playing at a lower level than we have become used to. Allen has a level of confidence that only the greats possess, the kind of confidence that lets him turn what looks like a disaster of a play into a touchdown.
The Bills went into the half 21-13 up on the Dolphins on a play where Allen – inexplicably – let the clock run down to zero before making his move. A touchdown pass fired to James Cook gave the Bills a buzzer-beating type play, but it is one only a quarterback like Allen would have been able to produce. Some would say he was lucky to have Cook find his way open, and others would say that the best quarterbacks in the game have a level of moxie that allows them to make these types of elevated plays whenever they need to happen.
Later – with the Bills down by eight in the fourth quarter, Allen dialed up his longest run of the season. The 44-yard sprint saw Allen hit a gear he hadn’t yet in 2022, and while it wasn’t like Jalen Hurts running the ball, it was still an inspired play. Allen went for 304 yards passing and four touchdowns on the day while also leading the Bills in rushing with 77 yards. It was an inspired performance and was a reminder to the league that the quarterback in Buffalo is going to be hard to beat in January.
