Getty Bills quarterback Josh Allen at FedExField on September 24, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills (3-1) crossed the pond on Thursday evening ahead of their “home” matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-2) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, October 8, however, the overnight flight didn’t prove to be restful trip for quarterback Josh Allen.
During his first press conference in London, Allen discussed the team’s plan to force themselves to stay awake on Friday so they can quickly adjust to the new time zone. “I’m not gonna lie,” I’m tired right now,” Allen said on Friday, October 6.
“Didn’t get much sleep on the plane. Basically went straight to meetings and practice,” he continued. “We’ve been listening to our sports science staff that’s in-house and trusting what they’re saying, and just making sure that our body clocks are aligned with the time zone here. Just trying to get as much ready as we can to go on Sunday.”
Josh Allen says he’s exhausted after the travel over to the UK. He’s leaned on British coffee and said he’s “caffeined out.”
While Allen is admittedly dragging right now, he’s combatting the tiredness with lots of caffeine. “I’m not a coffee guy, but coffee’s real here. It’s pretty dang good. I’m caffeined-out right now – sweating a little bit,” Allen said. “But ya know, our guys are telling us to stay up today… because we don’t want to be waking up at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning.”
Bills Mafia was concerned after hearing Allen’s statement, especially since the Jaguars have had the benefit of being in London for nearly two weeks, as they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-7 at Wembley Stadium in October 1. While that can be an advantage for the Jaguars, spending that much time away from home can come with its own difficulties.
Several fans doubted the team’s science in planning the overseas trip. One man posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “As an American living in London for 20 years that’s done this trip over 100 times I’m worried. They needed an extra day. Hope I’m wrong #billsmafia,” while another person wrote, “I thought they might have flown in a little sooner than the Thursday before to get acclimated.”
One fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “It’s really weird to me that the NFL just allowed the Jags to play back-to-back weeks in London. They’ve fully acclimated to the time difference having been overseas for going on two weeks, but the Bills are just supposed to be ready to go for Sunday.”
Stefon Diggs Said Josh Allen a.k.a. ‘Sleepy Head’ Needs His Rest
Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs are gonna have fun at practice
No matter which side of the pond they’re on
#Bills
Bills superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs is good to go. He told reporters on Friday, “I’m not a huge sleeper. I don’t need too much rest. I’ll be up throughout the night,” he said.
“I don’t care when I play, where I play. I just go out there and try to go hoop. I’m fine. I’m ready to go…. It’s no big deal to me. ‘Sleepy head’ (Allen) does need to get his rest. He was tired this morning, so I look forward to him making the turn and getting some rest a little bit.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who’s never been to London before, exuded confidence in Joe Collins, a London native, who’s head of the team’s sports science department.
“Done a ton of research over the years and now it’s ramped up obviously this offseason and making sure we’re going about it the right way here,” McDermott told reporters on October 4. “I think the cool piece of it is, there’s been a number of people working behind the scenes on this since we got word that this was going to happen. It’s a great opportunity.”
The Bills are staying at The Grove, a five-star hotel located in the English countryside located 17 miles northwest of London. While Buffalo usually has a full practice on Friday, McDermott opted to have a walk through instead to help his players get adjusted.
Fans Compared a Caffeinated Josh Allen to ‘Sugar High Josh’
from Sugar High Josh to Super Hero Josh
Several fans worried a “caffeinated-out” Allen might be similar to a “Sugar High Josh,” a nickname he earned from NFL analyst Kyle Brandt.
Allen explained the nickname in 2021. “It means when you take a bunch of sugar and you get all hopped up and your mind doesn’t function as well as you want it to function and just kind of all hell breaks loose, no holds barred. Sometimes I can produce a little bit of chaos on the field, but at the same time I say that, I feel like I thrive in a little chaos.”
However, much of Bills Mafia is trusting Allen will get it together for Sunday’s game, even if he’s running on pure adrenaline.
“I’m excited to be here. It’s my first time,” Allen said. “I wish I had a little more time to explore London, but I’m sure I’ll come back here in the offseason and get that done. We’re here for one job: to go win a football game. But it’s really cool to experience this and experience a different culture. Breakfast this morning was awesome.”