Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has put together some masterful performances through the first quarter of this NFL season, but mixed it in with some head-scratching mistakes.
Allen has 15 total touchdowns this season, but has also lost five turnovers. While his offensive heroics are one of the main reasons the Bills have jumped out to a 4-1 start this season, one former NFL legend believes he should be taking more criticism for his mistakes.
Josh Allen Should Face Harsher Criticism, NFL Legend Claims
In an appearance on Inside Football this week, Hall of Famer Cris Carter said he believes Allen should face harsher criticism for his boneheaded turnovers. He compared Allen to Cam Newton, a quarterback with a similar skill set who Carter claimed took harsher criticism for mistakes like the one Allen commits.
“If Cam Newton was playing the same way as Josh Allen, people would be criticizing him,” Cris Carter said on. “If Cam Newton scrambled for 8 seconds, then threw a couple Hail Marys and they got intercepted in consecutive weeks, people would be criticizing him. So when you look at Buffalo, let’s also look at their best player, because when you have a defense like that, it’s not a great defense. You can’t turn the ball over.”
Carter added that Allen is too good to be making thoughtless mistakes, adding that it doesn’t take away from his greatness if pundits were honest about his play.
“You’re supposed to be the best player in the league; you cannot turn the ball over. … We’ve had other players that play that way, we criticize them more than we did Josh Allen, even though he’s a great player,” Carter said. “We should be open to having the same standard for these players, regardless of what the name on the back is.”
Josh Allen Blamed Himself for Team’s Turnover Struggles
Allen has often been his own harshest critic, regularly taking the blame for the team’s struggles. That was the case after the team’s loss to the New England Patriots in Week 4, when Allen threw an ill-advised interception late in the fourth quarter. The Bills had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead with less than two minutes remaining, but Allen scrambled and three deep into double coverage.
After the game, Allen said he made a mistake trying to throw the ball when he could have thrown it away and went to third down.
“Should throw that one out of bounds, live to fight another day,” Allen said.
Bills QB Josh Allen Faces Double Standard Allegation From NFL Legend