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The Buffalo Bills were nowhere to be seen when the NFLPA 2023 All-Pro Team was announced on Wednesday, but quarterback Josh Allen didn’t seem too bothered.
The list, which was voted on by players themselves, had no members of the Bills on offense, defense, or special teams. Asked about himself and his teammates being shut out from the list, Allen sat quietly for a moment before offering a two-word response.
“Go Bills,” Allen said.
Josh Allen’s Second Snub
The NFLPA’s All-Pro team was not the first snub for Allen. He was also passed over for the Pro Bowl, with the AFC starting nod going to Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins and alternate spots to Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com named Allen to the list of the game’s biggest snubs, noting that he was a strong threat as both a passer and runner this season.
“The Bills’ midseason swoon and a glut of prime-time turnovers probably kept him from making the initial Pro Bowl roster, but doggonit, Allen still remains among the best of the best,” Patra wrote. “Don’t be thrown by his rank of seventh among QBs in passing yards (3,947) and passing TDs (27); his 457 rush yards (fourth among QBs) and 15 rushing scores (tied for the most among QBs) show what a dual-threat force he is.”
Patra added that Allen has been knocked for his turnovers, but ranks behind both Mahomes and Tagovailoa on PFF’s metric of turnover-worth plays. Allen is tied with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy with 16 turnover-worthy plays while Tagovailoa had 20 and Mahomes registered 18.
“Allen’s ability to make ridiculous throws gets him into some trouble,” Patra wrote. “It also stirs the Bills’ drink and has gotten them back into playoff contention.”
Allen still has a chance to make the Pro Bowl as an alternate, and could be named to the AP All-Pro list, which is yet to be announced.
Bills Quarterback Focused on Next Game
After leading the Bills to five straight victories to close out the season and clinching the team’s fourth straight AFC East title with the season finale win over the Dolphins, Allen remained focused on the next task at hand — a wild card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Though the Steelers are playing without All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt after he suffered an injury in the season finale, Allen said there is still plenty to fear about the Pittsburgh defense.
“They’re playing at a very high level right now,” Allen said, via reporter Alex Brasky on X. “They ruled TJ Watt out but that doesn’t mean we’re in the clear. They have one of best DLs in the league… We’re going to have our hands full.”
The Bills are dealing with their own injuries. Wide receiver Gabe Davis, cornerback Rasul Douglas, linebacker Tyrel Dodson and running back Ty Johnson all left the January 7 win over the Dolphins and at risk of missing Sunday’s playoff game.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he was impressed by how backups like cornerback Dane Jackson stepped up in their absence.
“That’s big,” McDermott said, via the team’s official website. “And I mentioned this after the game, with those guys being ready to go and taking ownership of that responsibility for themselves, and coaches having them ready to go. And that just goes back to the process during the week of these guys paying attention, even though they’re not the primary starter. They know all it takes is one snap and they’re in there and they’re going to be expected to execute, and those guys did a phenomenal job of just that.”
