MVP Josh Allen Returned vs. the Chiefs
An under-control Josh Allen is the best version of Josh Allen, believe it or not.
This is the version that has been more consistent from the pocket and stopped giving the ball away over the last two seasons. This is the version that has run the offense, played within Joe Brady’s scheme, and added on when the play doesn’t work instead of forcing the issue.
There was a recent stretch, however, where Allen wasn’t letting the game come to him. The turnover bug came back a bit, Allen looked to use his legs too often, plays were left on the field, and the Bills lost games they shouldn’t have against the Patriots and Falcons.
But there’s nothing like a game against the Chiefs to bring out the best in the 2024 MVP. On Sunday, he completed 23 of 26 passes for 273 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions (he also added 2 TD’s on the ground).
The success of the run game and Buffalo’s desire to stick with it certainly played a role. Joe Brady also seemed to get Allen in rhythm early with lots of quick throws and play-action. He was calling plays that basically said, “You are throwing the ball here and you have no choice.” I think that’s been one of the keys to his success with Allen since taking over as OC two years ago.
With Allen settled in and not trying to do too much, he was then able to see the field clearly and attack downfield when the opportunities arose. Most importantly, he was able to decipher the Chiefs’ disguise and post-snap movement brilliantly, which is something you always have to be prepared to do against a Steve Spagnuolo defense. And that led to some big plays.
On this first example, the Bills used multiple shifts to try and get a read on what Kansas City was doing. They shifted running back Ray Davis to the slot, sent wide receiver Khalil Shakir across the formation, and then returned Davis next to Allen:
Cornerback Nohl Williams followed Shakir across the formation and the deep safety to the offense’s right (#27 Chamarri Conner) dropped down over him as well. The Chiefs were bracketing Shakir and would end up with just one safety deep coming from the other side of the field:
Allen saw it all and knew immediately that tight end Dalton Kincaid would be able to run his corner route against a linebacker (Drue Tranquill) with no help anywhere in sight:
