Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott had preached the importance of Josh Allen going down on runs and taking fewer hits, but that went out the window when the quarterback took off running in Monday’s playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Allen rumbled through the Steelers’ defense for a 52-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of the January 15 game, giving the Bills a 21-0 lead en route to a 31-17 victory. It was the second-longest rushing touchdown for a quarterback in league history.
“A lot of guys screaming slide… and didn’t slide… and scored. So it worked out that time.”
-Josh Allen on his 52-yard touchdown run
“I was just like ‘WOW’… he’s just a freak of nature.”
After the win to send the Bills into the divisional round, McDermott was asked what he thought when he saw Allen take off running and thread through the Steelers’ defense rather than sliding to avoid a hit.
“It’s Josh,” McDermott said.
Josh Allen Gave Coaching Staff a Scare
McDermott told reporters that Allen’s long run gave a scare to the coaching staff, with offensive coordinator Joe Brady yelling “get down, get down” in the headset during the play. But McDermott added that the ability to run is an important part of Allen’s game, keeping defenses on their toes.
“That’s Josh doing what Josh is known for,” via WROC-TV sports director Thad Brown on X.
After last season’s playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, both McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane emphasized the need for Allen to play smarter with the ball, cutting down on the number of hits he took over the course of the season.
“The only thing I’d get on to him is he’s got too many bruises on him,” Beane said, via the Democrat & Chronicle. “And we’ve got to work on taking less hits. That’s the only reason I’m going to ever criticize Josh is just take less hits.”
Allen accounted for all four of the team’s touchdowns on Monday, adding three passing touchdowns to go along with his long rushing score. He finished the game 21 of 30 for 203 yards and 74 rushing yards on eight carries. Just as importantly, he didn’t turn the ball over — just the fourth time this season that he did not have a turnover.
Bills Give Gritty Effort in Win
The win was not an easy one for the Bills, as the team suffered a series of injuries on defense. Linebacker Terrel Bernard went down with an ankle injury, and cornerbacks Christian Benford and Taron Johnson were both knocked out of the game.
After the game, Allen praised his teammates for rallying together.
“We’ve got a resilient group. The veteran leadership that we have, I really think it’s unmatched in the league,” Allen said, via The Associated Press.
The win sends the Bills to a divisional-round matchup with a familiar opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, but in an unfamiliar setting. For the first time in the last six matchups, the Chiefs must travel to Buffalo to face the higher-seeded Bills.
It will be the first road playoff game for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in his career, and the first time he had to play in Buffalo in front of fans. The Chiefs visited Buffalo in 2020, but it was played before an empty stadium as the team was still under COVID restrictions.
Allen said he knows the team has a challenge ahead of them.
“It’s going to take a team effort,” Allen said. “We know the type of team that they are, obviously the type of quarterback that they have in Pat over there. … Just thanking God that we get another chance to play another game.”
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Bills HC Sean McDermott Shares 2-Word Reaction to Josh Allen’s Wild TD