Following a flurry of moves made before the NFL’s trade deadline, the Buffalo Bills (6-1) are now focused on their upcoming Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets (5-3). The AFC East showdown isn’t expected to be super competitive, as the Bills are favored to win by 12.5 points.
During an appearance on “Kyle Brandt’s Basement” on Wednesday, November 2, Bills quarterback Josh Allen seemed aware of the lopsided odds, as well as the onslaught of harsh criticism toward Jets quarterback Zach Wilson.
Allen, however, believes fans and analysts should be more patient with Wilson, who was slammed for his three-interception performance during the Jets’ loss to the New England Patriots in Week 8. “It’s a guy trying to make a play,” Allen told Brandt. “And I was at that same position. I threw three picks against the Patriots my second year, and that’s kind of the game where it all clicked for me. So you can take that for what it is.”
.@JoshAllenQB sees some of himself in Zach Wilson, who he faces this Sunday:
“I was in that same position. I threw three picks against the Patriots my second year and it all clicked for me after that game.”
Looking back to Week 4 of the 2019 NFL season, the Bills were 3-0 going up against the Tom Brady-led Patriots, also 3-0. Allen threw three picks while completing just 13-of-28 passes for 153 yards while taking four sacks, per NJ.com reporter Andy Vasquez. It was Allen’s 16th game and 15th career start. Buffalo lost 16-10.
At the time, Allen was far from the elite performer he is today. The Wyoming alum was completing just 55% of his passes while averaging 186.1 yards per game. He had scored 13 touchdowns and recorded 18 interceptions. As for Wilson, he’s completed 55.43% of his passes while averaging 187.9 yards per game. The former No. 2 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft has 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
Allen told Brandt that his dreadful performance against the Patriots during his sophomore year was actually a huge turning point for him. “Sometimes it takes a little longer,” Allen said. “It took me a while to kind of understand the nuances of this game and trying not to do too much. I think that’s what it comes down to, not trying to do too much so I think that’s what it kind of comes down to, not trying to do too much and allowing you to trust your guys on the field with you.”
Josh Allen is in some ELITE company 💪
During the next 12 games after that loss to the Patriots, Allen completed 58.2% of his passes while averaging 182.2 yards per game. He went on to score 17 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
Vasquez appreciated Allen’s comments but surmised, “It’s not the best comparison, because by early in his second season Allen had established himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL. He averaged 46.7 rushing yards per game and had 11 rushing touchdowns in his first 16 career games. Wilson has averaged 12.6 rushing yards per game with five touchdowns, and he’s three inches shorter and about 30 pounds lighter than Allen, so the Jets can’t build their offense around his running ability the way the Bills did with Allen.”
Twitter Strongly Reacted to Allen’s Comments About Wilson
Twitter had strongly mixed reactions to Allen’s comments. While several fans and analysts loved seeing the Bills star have Wilson’s back, others were frustrated that he perpetuated the comparisons between the two quarterbacks, as they feel the Jets starter isn’t worthy of being compared to Allen at all.
When Zach Wilson “Throws the ball away” versus when Josh Allen “Throws the ball away”
A Jets fan tweeted, “Allen with a really solid, reasonable take on Zach Wilson,” while The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt tweeted, “Of all people, Josh Allen knows what Zach Wilson is going through. Encouraging quote.”
Me: Stop using Josh Allen as an example of the path for Zach Wilson’s early struggles
Josh Allen:
Statistically speaking Zach Wilson has been on par with Josh Allen in efficiency when throwing from a clean pocket, but he’s on par with Blaine Gabbert all time when throwing outside of the pocket. Just two entirely different QBs. It’s insane.
One person tweeted, “If a Jets fan, blog, media person brings up Josh Allen as a comparison to Zach Wilson take a drink…You would die of alcohol poisoning,” while WGR 550 host Joe DiBiase surmised, “Zach Wilson is what a lot of people thought Josh Allen was gonna be.”
Allen Won’t Give Wilson ‘Too Much Advice’ Before Their Week 9 Matchup
Josh Allen: 20 big time throws
Leads the NFL🚀
While Allen believes Wilson can finish the season strong, that strong comeback will likely have to wait until after the Jets play the Bills on Sunday, November 6.
“I don’t want to give him too much advice before we play him,” he told Brandt. “But guys got to go out there and play football man, we can’t think about making mistakes because that’s ultimately when we do make mistakes. You just got to go out there and ball.”
If the Bills win on Sunday, it will be Buffalo’s first five-game win streak during the regular season since 2020, per Bills reporter Maddy Glab.
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Bills QB Josh Allen’s Comment on Zach Wilson Stirs Debate on Twitter