Are We Sure Josh Allen Isn't the MVP Again?
Through 15 weeks, Matthew Stafford is the clear leader in the NFL MVP race (or at least he should be). But Josh Allen’s performance against the Patriots on Sunday propelled him right back into the discussion and put him on Stafford’s heels.
Allen is currently on pace for 45 total touchdowns, is completing 70% of his passes, and has rushed for 535 yards (leading all QBs). Considering how ineffective just about everything around him in Buffalo seems to be at times, and the fact that the Bills might be 0-14 without him, it’s hard to argue that there is a player more valuable to his team.
He reminded us all of this with his performance against New England.
Subscribe for just $1 per month!
Things didn’t start off so hot, though. 24 minutes in, the Patriots had a 21-0 lead and appeared to be in total control of the game and the division. Buffalo’s defense looked helpless against the run and the offense wasn’t bailing them out.
Then, the Bills got going. They started converting on 3rd down and staying on the field. Over their next 5 drives, each of which ended in touchdowns, Buffalo would convert 8 of 9 third downs (including 2 as a result of penalties) and 1 fourth down.
Allen would complete all 5 of his passes for 93 yards and a touchdown on those key downs, and he picked up 23 yards and 2 more conversions with his legs.
Allen’s heroics aside, offensive coordinator Joe Brady had a few great play calls and designs in key moments to kick-start the comeback. Buffalo’s first 3rd down on their initial scoring drive was a great example.
The Bills came out in an empty formation and put running back Ty Johnson on the perimeter to the left. Linebacker Christian Elliss aligned over him, indicating that this was man coverage:
One thing you have to be ready for when you play the Bills is “Mesh.” They run it in a variety of ways in short yardage and 3rd-and-medium situations.
The Patriots appeared to be all over it. You could see the three defenders over the Bills’ three receivers to the right playing at different levels to help avoid the rubs and collisions that normally occur with Mesh:
They also had a 4th defender inside who was ready to cut off any shallow crossers before spying Allen:
At the snap, all three Bills receivers from the right appeared to be running their routes across the field:
Would there be another crosser coming from the other side of the formation like you normally see in Mesh? Not this time. Instead, the underneath crosser would come in the form of Dawson Knox running a whip route:
His defender was so adamant about getting over top of him and not getting beat across the field that he was ripe for the picking. He overran Knox, and then had to contend with the traffic of the other two shallow crossers coming behind him: