Getty Josh Allen calls a play in a game against the Miami Dolphins.
Josh Allen set some career records in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, but one insider believes it may actually have been his lack of composure that doomed the Buffalo Bills in the 21-19 loss.
Despite playing behind a patchwork offensive line after a series of injuries and facing near-constant pressure from the Miami front seven, Allen completed 42 of 63 pass attempts — both career highs. He threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns, while also adding eight carries for 47 yards.
There were lowlights as well, including a late unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as Allen grew heated with a Dolphins defender. WGR 550’s Nate Geary believes that Allen may have cost the team a chance for an unlikely victory.
Allen Criticized for Lack of Composure
Geary noted that the Bills fate largely rests on Allen’s performances, much as the Green Bay Packers rely on Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs on Patrick Mahomes. So when Allen came up short in big moments in the loss to Miami — like bobbling a snap in the final seconds of the first half to lose the chance at a field goal attempt or skipping a pass off the turf to miss a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter — the Bills suffer, he wrote.
“The Bills’ lack of composure in one-score games is incredibly alarming for a Super Bowl contender. You see Allen with those red, rosy cheeks and immediately my blood pressure begins to rise,” Geary wrote.
Allen lost his composure in more evident ways on Sunday, taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after a scrap with Dolphins defensive end Christian Wilkins. Geary wrote that the troubles in close games could point to a bigger, more worrying trend for the Bills.
Josh Allen got flagged for a personal foul after ripping Christian Wilkins’ helmet off 👀
“But what it speaks to is a far more concerning trend. The Bills are now 0-7 dating back to 2020 in one score games,” he wrote. “In fact, the last one score game the Bills have come out the victor in was the Wild Card game against the Colts in the 2020 season, which featured no fans in the stands. I’m not sure that’s a narrative I am willing to run with just yet – that Allen played his best, most clutch football when there weren’t fans in the stands. But I can absolutely see why people might start pointing to that.”
Allen Speaks Out After Loss
After the game, Allen took his typical tactic of putting the blame on himself and putting the loss in perspective.
“This is one game. We’ll learn from this one tomorrow, take it on the chin and again prepare for next week,” Allen said, via NFL.com. “That’s all we can do. We can move forward. Again, we’re 2-1. I’d like to be 3-0, but 2-1 we can still accomplish everything we want to accomplish.”
Josh Allen today
🦬42-of-63
🦬400Yards
🦬47 Rushing Yards
🦬2 TDs
For my money, the best QB in the game right now.
It could be easy to write off Sunday’s loss as a fluke. The Bills were hit hard by injuries, with the team placing All-Pro safety Micah Hyde on injured reserve the day before the game with a season-ending neck injury and fellow All-Pro safety Jordan Poyer being ruled out on gameday. The Bills were hit with several other injuries both before and during the game, which was played in sweltering heat that left several players on both teams suffering cramping and exhaustion.