Josh Allen has the Buffalo Bills rolling as they move toward what could be a season-deciding showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs this week.
Both teams come into the meeting tied atop the AFC at 4-1, with a win potentially deciding who has home-field advantage at the end of the season and throughout the playoffs. The Bills saw their season end in Kansas City in each of the last two seasons, and likely would want to force the Chiefs to travel to Orchard Park if they meet in the playoffs a third time.
But one analyst suggests that Allen could be in trouble if the Bills fall behind early in next week’s contest, a criticism that has some fans scratching their heads.
Analyst Takes Aim at Allen’s Comeback Abilities
In a preview of the Bills’ game against the Chiefs this week, pundit Colin Cowherd said Allen doesn’t compare with Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes when it comes to pulling off comeback victories. Mahomes just led the Chiefs to a key victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, which kept them atop the AFC West and in position to take over first place in the conference with a win over the Bills.
“Josh Allen hasn’t proven he can win these close come from behind games like Patrick Mahomes.”
“Josh Allen hasn’t proven he can win these close come-from-behind games like Patrick Mahomes,” Cowherd said.
The criticism came off a bit odd to Bills fans, who pointed out that Allen has authored many comebacks during his five-year tenure with the team. While there were none last season — the Bills won all games in the 2021-22 season by at least two scores — Allen had five comeback wins in the 2019 season as he led the Bills to a 10-6 record and a playoff berth.
Allen had another three comeback wins in 2020, and has one very memorable one this season as the Bills erased a 17-point deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4.
Even Buffalo’s heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season came after a pair of heroic comeback attempts by Allen. He led the Bills to two touchdowns in the final two minutes, putting the Bills ahead each time, but he never touched the ball again after giving the Bills a lead with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Mahomes was able to march the Chiefs to a game-tying field goal, then onto a game-winning drive in overtime.
Many Bills fans shared their confusion that Cowherd gave credit to Mahomes for his team’s 17-point comeback over the Raiders but didn’t give Allen credit for doing the same a week earlier.
“The Ravens game where the Bills came back the same amount as the Chiefs, doesn’t count,” one fan tweeted. “We are just making up narratives today.”
Bills Ready for Chiefs Showdown
McDermott said the Bills are looking at a lot of things as they prepare for the Chiefs, both what Mahomes and company have been able to accomplish this season along with how they’ve approached the Bills in recent meetings. The teams split games last year, with the Bills winning the regular-season matchup and the Chiefs winning in the playoffs.
“It’s probably a hybrid of everything,” he said, via Syracuse.com. “To not look at this season and what they’ve done this year, probably wouldn’t be us doing a full evaluation like we should. And then not using what we’ve done against them or what they’ve done against us, would be about the same. So I think you’ve got to kind of spread the canvas out a little further and go back to what they’ve done this year, and also with what they’ve done against us.”
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Analyst’s Odd Criticism of Josh Allen Leaves Bills Fans Puzzled