Getty Josh Allen is hit by Miami Dolphins defenders.
Josh Allen has a history of beating up on the Miami Dolphins, but on Sunday it was the Buffalo Bills quarterback taking all the hits.
Allen was hounded by an aggressive Miami defense, including a series of hits that fans decried as “dirty.” One of those came late in the fourth quarter, when Allen was taken down on a short run and hit in a very sensitive area in the midst of a scrum.
The plays stung even more given that the Bills lost a nailbiter, falling 21-19 after time ran out on their final drive.
Bills Fans Angry at Hits on Allen
With the Bills suffering some key injuries at offensive line, Miami took advantage and dialed up a number of blitzes to keep the pressure on Allen. That left the Bills quarterback taking more hits than any other game this season, including a pair that drew some viral attention.
One came as with the Bills training 21-17 and driving in the fourth quarter. Allen looked to make a quick pass but scrambled up the middle on an apparent broken play. As Allen was down in a scrum, he grew angry at Dolphins defensive end Christian Wilkins, pushing off the Miami defender’s facemask and motioned to referees that Wilkings had hit him in the nether region.
“Christian Wilkins has had several borderline dirty shots in today’s game,” tweeted Bills reporter Ryan Talbot. “Josh Allen didn’t like the latest instance of Wilkins’ dirty play and ripped his helmet off. It leads to a penalty on Josh Allen, however. Wilkins has a history of playing a bit dirty.”
Allen was flagged on the play and the Bills were pushed back 15 yards.
That was not the only play that had Bills fans heated. Earlier in the game, Dolphins linebacker Melvin Ingram appeared to kick Allen as the Bills quarterback was releasing a pass.
I don’t want to hear about Milano being dirty for a push when Melvin Ingram is doing this. t.co/gEgNjSNYQB
The Dolphins were not penalized on either play.
Allen Nearly Willed Bills to Victory
Despite the physical game, Allen nearly willed the Bills to victory. He completed 42 of a career-high 63 pass attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns, and added another eight carries for 47 yards. With the Bills trailing 21-19 after forcing a late safety on a botched punt from Miami, Allen pushed them into long field goal range but the clock ran out before they could stop the clock to make an attempt.
Allen was hit a season-high nine times, thanks in part to the patchwork offensive line that the Bills were forced to put together. Starting center Mitch Morse was out for the game, and replacement Greg Van Roten struggled to slow the Miami pass rushers. Van Roten eventually left the game due to injury, leaving practice-squad call-up Greg Mancz to finish the game at center.
The Bills were dealing with even more injuries on the other side of the ball, with nearly all of the original starting secondary out. Safety Micah Hyde was placed on the season-ending injured reserve on Saturday, and fellow All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer was inactive. Cornerback Dane Jackson was also out, leaving rookies Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam to start.
The loss gives the Dolphins early control of the AFC East.