Bucs HC Bruce Arians Questions Bills’ Risky Strategy on Josh Allen

Josh Allen

Getty Josh Allen runs for a touchdown in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was impressed with what Josh Allen did against them on Sunday, even if he doesn’t agree with the way the Buffalo Bills used him.

Allen had one of the best statistical games of his career in Buffalo’s 33-27 overtime loss to Tampa, throwing for 308 yards and adding another 109 rushing yards while leading the Bills on a furious comeback that just fell short. The Bills quarterback made a bit of history with the performance, becoming just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 100 in a game.

But for Arians, Buffalo’s approach seemed a bit too risky.

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Arians Disagrees With Buffalo’s Approach

Speaking about Allen’s performance after the game, Arians told reporters that it was difficult to stop the Bills quarterback. After weeks of poor performances from running backs, the Bills made Allen the primary ball-carrier, calling a number of designed runs for the quarterback in addition to the 54 passes he threw.

As Arians pointed out, the strategy exposed Allen to more hits and ultimately left him dinged up.

“He’s more like Cam Newton, but with a bigger and stronger arm,” Arians told reporters. “We talked about, the designed quarterback runs are tough. I wouldn’t put my quarterback in that much of harm’s way because he did get nicked up a little bit. But they did a heck of a job with it.”

Allen had to have his foot taped by medical staff late in the game and was noticeably limping during the fourth quarter, but never came out of the game. Afterward, he was seen wearing a walking boot.

Allen was scheduled to undergo further testing on Monday, but said after the game that he wasn’t concerned about missing any time.

“I finished the game on it, so I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal,” Allen said, via News 8’s AJ Feldman.


Allen’s Performance Earns Praise

Beyond the mild criticism from Arians about how the team managed him, Allen earned plenty of praise for his performance against the defending Super Bowl champions. NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms said that Allen outperformed Tom Brady and should still be in consideration for MVP, even though the Bills have struggled.

“At this point, the precedent is that MVP goes to the QB with the best stats on the best team. And I get that, Tom Brady has a better MVP case than Josh Allen. But watching that Bills-Bucs game yesterday, you could tell Allen was the best QB on the field,” he tweeted.

Bills legend Thurman Thomas also shared some praise for the leadership that Allen showed in sparking the late comeback.

The Bills now face a difficult road to the playoffs. The loss left Buffalo hanging onto the seventh and final playoff spot, and the team will likely need to win a minimum of three of its final four games to secure a berth. Despite the setbacks, the Bills could still have a chance at the division, with one game against the New England Patriots still remaining and winnable games against the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons and New York Jets.

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