Bills QB Allen seeks better finish
Orchard Park Josh Allen has unfinished business he’d like to attend to before the rookie quarterback’s season comes to a close this weekend.
Specifically, Allen is still stung by how he came oh-so-close to beating AFC East rival Miami in his first meeting, a 21-17 loss for Buffalo four weeks ago.
“I relived it a few times. It’s one of those plays where it (stinks),” Allen said.
He’s referring to how his pass on fourth-and-11 from Miami’s 30 fell just out of the reach of tight end Charles Clay at the goal line in the final minute.
Allen and the Bills (510) have an opportunity to make up for it Sunday when the Dolphins (7-8) come to town in a seasonending matchup of teams out of playoff contention.
“I look back at it and I should’ve made a better throw,” Allen added. “I definitely think we’re a better team since that game, and it’s time to go back out on Sunday and kind of prove it.”
For the young, rebuilding Bills, they have an opportunity to win four of the final seven and show they’re trending in the right direction.
The Dolphins, meantime, are preparing to enter an offseason of uncertainty.
Questions are raised over the status of coach Adam Gase and vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum. And it’s unclear whether quarterback Ryan Tannehill will return for an eighth season.
“What’s the good of wondering and pondering and wasting time thinking about it,” said Tannehill, who has a 5-5 record and missed five starts with an injured right throwing shoulder. “It’s out of my control right now. I’m focused on winning this one game in Buffalo.”
Tannehill’s production has essentially flat-lined this season, and he hasn’t topped 300 yards passing since Sept. 25, 2016, which came before he missed the entire 2017 season with a knee injury.
Not all the blame falls on Tannehill’s shoulders. The Dolphins’ defense has allowed 400 yards in a game nine times this season, including 415 to Buffalo.
And this is a team that’s been wildly unpredictable. Though they count wins against division leaders such as New England and Chicago, the Dolphins have also lost to last-place teams such as Cincinnati, Detroit and Jacksonville.
“I think we’ve just been so all over the place,” Gase said. “One game we’ll do well on offense, and then we’ll just be nonexistent one game.”
The Dolphins are the only division rival Allen will face twice this season after he missed four games with a sprained right throwing elbow. The rookie has a 4-6 record, and lost all three starts against AFC East foes.