ALLEN, BILLS STUN VIKINGS
How impressive was rookie Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in his first career road start?
“He can throw it, he can run, he can fly and he can hurdle!” CBS play-by-play man Jim Nantz said, before the first play of the second quarter of Sunday’s shocking 27-3 demolition of the host Minnesota Vikings by the upstart Bills. More on that amazing hurdle in a moment. The demolition, of course, was supposed to by applied by, not to, the Vikings. Bookmakers had made Buffalo a 16.5-point underdog, the largest September spread in the NFL in five years, per USA Today.
But in every phase the Bills dominated the Vikings during the decisive first half — at least as much as the Bills themselves had been dominated in the first halves of their opening two games, by Baltimore and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Buffalo defence continued its suddenly aggressive, disruptive play that had begun after halftime a week earlier in the blowout loss to the Chargers.
And Allen made plays all over the field — with his strong arm, his surprising touch passes, his ability to buy himself oodles of time to throw and — in no surprise to anyone who has watched him closely to this point in his young football career — his adept, instinctive, defence-vexing running ability.
In short, it was as promising an early-career performance by a young Bills quarterback since Jim Kelly joined the Bills from the USFL in the late 1980s.
The play everyone will talk about for a long time is when the 6-foot-5 Allen, on one of his gashing runs, hurdled dangerous Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, cleared him entirely, landed in stride and rambled onward to pick up a first down.
Incredible.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like that on what looked like to me like a normal type of tackle, as opposed to a (low, diving) cut type of tackle,” Bills head coach Sean McDermott said.
For his part, Allen said: “I’m trying to play fearless. Coaches say to let it rip. I’m not sure they meant it that way.”
No, they surely did not.
In becoming only the third NFL rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to rush for two TDs and throw for another in the first half of a game, Allen before halftime completed 11-of-18 for a touchdown and no interceptions (an elite 110.4 passer rating), while leading all rushers with 37 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries.
By far, Allen was the most impactful offensive performer on the field in that first half, before Bills coaches played conservative keep-away after halftime to nurse their 27-0 lead to victorious conclusion.
Tony Romo, Nantz’s colour-commentary sidekick on the CBS telecast, said early in the second quarter: “Josh Allen is playing perfect football at this point. It’s really outstanding.”