Allen makes short work of Packers in Bills' 19-0 win
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen had the Buffalo Bills' up-tempo passing attack humming so efficiently in his preseason debut receiver Emmanuel Sanders wondered when his turn would come to make a play.
The veteran offseason freeagent addition was fifth in line as part of an opening drive in which Allen completed 10 of his first 11 attempts, including a touchdown, in a 19-0 win over the Green Bay Packers in both teams' preseason finales Saturday.
“It was like bing, bing, bing, bing and I was like, `When is it my turn?′ And the next thing you know, it was my turn and I caught it,” said Sanders of his 6-yard catch for a first down that got the Bills across midfield.
“Man, it was fun. Practices don't do it justice,” said Sanders, who's caught passes from the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees over his previous 11 seasons. “Like, we were supposed to play a half, but I looked at Stef (receiver Stefon Diggs) and said, `I don't want to come out.`”
Allen needed just three possessions to finish 20 of 26 for 194 yards and two touchdowns to show he and the Bills high-powered offense are ready for the regular season.
“Yeah, it felt good,” said Allen, who set numerous single-season scoring and passing records last year in helping the Bills win their first AFC East title since 1995. “It's preseason so we're not gonna overreact to anything. But we went out there, we executed like we should have, and at the end of the day that's all you can ask for.”
Buffalo finished 3-0, extending its preseason winning streak to eight games, dating to a 26-13 loss to Cincinnati on Aug. 26, 2018.
Green Bay can now look forward to Aaron Rodgers providing stability to a mistake-filled offense which lacked finish behind a cast of backups, led by Jordan Love. The Packers finished 0-3, closing a preseason in which a majority of their starters didn't play.
Love played into the third quarter and finished 12 of 18 for 149 yards and an interception. He returned to action after missing last weekend with what he revealed to be a strained right rotator cuff. A myriad of mistakes led to the Packers coming up empty, with their first three possessions stalling inside Buffalo's 21.
“We just didn't finish when we needed to. And that's why that score can get a little out of hand, or lopsided,” coach Matt
LaFleur said.
Love was just off-target bouncing a pass off Reggie Begelton's fingertips on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to end Green Bay's first drive. Next, on first-and-10 from Buffalo's 21, Love was under pressure and threw off his back foot to have his weak pass easily intercepted in the end zone by Micah Hyde.
“It's one I've got to obviously learn from and dump that to the sideline, and play the next play,” Love said of his interception.
The Packers' third and final possession of the first half ended with Mason Crosby missing a 28-yard field-goal attempt wide left.
Complicating matters were a pair of bad snaps from backup center Jake Hanson.
Allen, meantime, displayed the polish and poise that led to the fourth-year starter being rewarded with a six-year, $258 million contract extension three weeks ago.
He capped Buffalo's opening drive with a perfect throw in hitting Gabriel Davis in stride — a step ahead of cornerback Isaac Yiadom — on a post route for a 31-yard touchdown on thirdand-20. Allen then squeezed a tight 3-yard pass over the middle to Zack Moss to put the Bills up 13-0 on his third and final possession.
Allen spread the ball in completing passes to eight receivers, while playing without his favorite target, Diggs, who sat out because of a lingering knee injury.
He also displayed his familiar dual-threat ability by scrambling to his left and throwing a pass across his body to a wideopen Cole Beasley for a 21-yard gain to set up Moss' TD.
“It's not a surprise,” Moss said of Allen's completion to Beasley. “We all know what he can do with his arm . ... Super excited to see where he leads this team throughout the year.”
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The Jacksonville Jaguars traded popular backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to Philadelphia on Saturday for a conditional draft pick in 2022. The Jaguars received a sixthround pick that would become a fifth-rounder if Minshew plays 50% of snaps in three games.
The trade allows Jacksonville to move to C.J. Beathard as Trevor Lawrence's backup and gives Minshew a fresh start in an offense tailored for Jalen Hurts. The Eagles also have 36-year-old Joe Flacco in their now-revamped QB room. They released Nick Mullens to make room for Minshew.
The Jaguars first put Minshew on the trading block during the NFL draft in April, but they didn't get any takers. Coach Urban Meyer ended up having Minshew split repetitions with Lawrence when training camp opened — an odd QB competition that no one believed was anything more than a coach sending a message to a young team.
Lawrence was finally made the starter Wednesday, and Meyer said Minshew would compete for the backup spot with Beathard.
Minshew went 7-13 in 20 starts in Jacksonville after replacing injury-prone Nick Foles. He completed 63% of his passes for 5,530 yards, with 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He started 12 games in 2019, putting up better overall numbers than fellow rookies Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones and creating a “Minshew Mania” buzz around the city and parts of the country.
His quirky fashion sense, which includes jean shorts, Hawaiian shirts, a thick headband, a throwback leisure suit and ever-evolving facial hair, made him a fan favorite shortly after the Jags drafted him in the sixth round in 2019. His laidback personality and quick wit made him even more beloved in small-market Jacksonville, which has spent decades longing to find a franchise quarterback.