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Josh Allen did everything needed in a 24-10 win over the New England Patriots on December 1, but the Buffalo Bills quarterback said there was one play he wishes he could have back.
Allen threw for 233 yards with two touchdowns against the Patriots, adding another 20 yards rushing. Eight of those rushing yards came on a bruising run in the final minute of the first quarter and the Bills in the red zone, with Allen calling his own number on an option and running into the heart of the New England defense before leaping to get past the first-down marker.
Though the play may have had a good result for the Bills, Allen said after the game that it was a decision he regretted.
Allen Hurting After Tough Run
Allen ended up rushing five times against the Patriots, and though it was a lighter load than other games this season, Allen took hard hits on nearly all of his rushes. In the postgame interview, commentator Tony Gonzalez asked Allen if he heard from coaches about avoiding the hits and preserving his body a bit more.
“There’s been a lot of talk of that,” Allen said. “I won’t lie to you. But man, I’m a football player. I love this game, I love everything that comes with it.”
“Yep, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation.”
– Josh Allen.
When commentator and former Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said he got nervous when he saw Allen go leaping into a jumble of Patriots defenders on the first-quarter run, the Bills quarterback agreed that it wasn’t his best decision.
“I didn’t like it either. That one hurt a little bit,” Allen replied. “We’ll be smarter on that one.”
While the Bills have leaned heavily on Allen at times this season, Thursday’s win saw contributions from a number of players. Rookie running back James Cook had 64 rushing yards on a career-high 14 carries, adding six catches for 41 yards. Fellow running back Devin Singletary added 51 yards on 13 carries.
Bills Benefit From Allen’s Bruising Run
Though Allen may have been hurting from the run, the play itself led to a very good result for the Bills. Allen’s run set the Bills up with 1st-and-goal from the New England 5-yard line, and the Bills scored two plays later when Allen found wide receiver Stefon Diggs in the endzone. The play put the Bills up 10-7, a lead they would not relinquish.
The win was an important one for the Bills, as they had lost each of their first two divisional games so far this season. The Bills have now temporarily broken a with the Miami Dolphins atop the AFC East, and they have the chance to finish the weekend back in the lead in the division if the Dolphins lose and with the top overall seed in the conference if both the Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs were to lose.
Josh Allen is NOT human.
“We know these games that are coming up, they matter,” Allen said after the game, via Kyle Hightower of The Associated Press. “The ones in December and January, they matter. We’ve got to find ways to go win some football games.”
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Bills QB Josh Allen Reveals Play He Regrets in Win Over Patriots