Getty Quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills.
A little more than a year ago, when Brian Daboll left the Buffalo Bills to become head coach of the New York Giants, quarterback Josh Allen made a strong case for Ken Dorsey to replace him as offensive coordinator.
Allen got his wish, with the Bills promoting the quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator prior to the 2022 season. Dorsey ended up lasting a little more than one-and-a-half seasons, being fired on November 14 following a crushing Monday Night Football loss to the Denver Broncos.
One insider believes the firing could have an underlying message to Allen to pull out of his own rough patch.
“This is a ‘grab by the facemask’ moment for Josh Allen,” The Athletic’s Tim Graham wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He has been a husk of himself. If he were a rookie on a rebuild, maybe you bench him to get his attention. Firing his hand-picked coordinator might be the message Allen deserves right now.”
Josh Allen Under Criticism
Dorsey’s firing came just hours after the Bills lost a heartbreaker to the Broncos, falling 24-21 after a penalty for too many men on the field negated a missed field goal in the final seconds. The Broncos nailed their second attempt to win the game, sending the Bills reeling on a short week with a divisional game against the New York Jets coming next.
Allen and the offense struggled against a Broncos defense that earlier in the season surrendered 70 points to the Miami Dolphins, committing four turnovers along with a number of other miscues.
Dorsey fired. It’s not ALL of his fault, but when you have a QB like Josh Allen that has been at an elite level and he looks like he has looked, something has to change.
Bills offense has been predictable and easy to defend. Allen looks lost. This should have happened a month…
Ryan O’Halloran of the Buffalo News wrote that “Allen should be at the front of the blame line,” noting that he now leads the NFL with 11 interceptions and all quarterbacks with 14 turnovers. He noted that league executives and coaches have started to privately raise concerns about Allen’s play.
“They don’t think Allen is average or even below average – they love him and believe the Bills will have a chance at glory as long as he is healthy and effective,” O’Halloran wrote. “But like you, they expected the same amount of dynamic plays matched with fewer crippling mistakes.”
Bills Keeping Hope After Crushing Loss
Though the loss dropped the Bills to 5-5 and well outside the playoff picture, veteran center Mitch Morse still expressed optimism.
“The lows are so devastatingly low in this league,” Morse told reporters after the game, via The Athletic. “Safe to say, this is a pretty devastating low right now. But I do think this is when the good teams come together. Have each other’s back, man.
“I mean, listen, this is not what we’re looking for by any means, but we have to have each other’s back, and it’s being put to the test right now.”
Allen agreed, but added that there is little time left to turn things around.
“Yeah, I’m still confident, but it’s no secret the clock’s ticking. We’ve got to have some urgency now,” Allen said.
The Bills will have a tall task in trying to claw back into the playoff race, with games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys still ahead.