Getty Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks for an open teammate against the Denver Broncos.
In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos had an opportunity to draft Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen with the fifth overall pick but decided to go in a different direction.
Allen had played his college ball at Wyoming, which was just two hours north of Mile High Stadium in Denver, and the Broncos were searching for a franchise quarterback after going through a quarterback carousel of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler, and Paxton Lynch in 2017. Allen could’ve been their answer, but they drafted North Carolina defensive end Bradley Chubb, who’s turned into one of the top pass rushers in the NFL.
Heading into their matchup on Saturday, there was a lot said about whether or not Allen had any extra motivation going into the game, seeing that the Broncos had passed on him. After throwing for 359 yards and two touchdowns, and running for 33 yards and another two touchdowns, Allen hinted at the fact that there wasn’t any extra motivation behind his performance.
“I’m where I’m supposed to be,” Allen said in his post-game video conference call.
Did Allen really need it though?
In the past three years, Allen has found the perfect situation in Buffalo. He’s with a team that moved up in the 2018 draft to choose him with the seventh overall pick and they’ve given him the opportunity to grow ever since.
They’ve surrounded with some of the best weapons in the NFL and he has an offensive genius in Brian Daboll ushering him along, who he also gave praise to on Saturday.
“He is one of the best, if not the best, offensive coordinator in the game right now,” Allen said.
Although the Broncos passed on him, it seems like it’s worked out pretty well for Allen and the Bills as they just captured their first AFC East division title in 25 years.
Follow the Heavy on Bills Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors, and content!
Daboll Trusted Allen With Deep Ball
With 9 minutes, 3 seconds remaining in the third quarter the Bills took the field after the Broncos had punted for the first time of the second half.
The Bills took over on their own 32-yard line and on the first play of the drive Allen launched a rocket down the right sideline for a 55 yard gain to Stefon Diggs and they scored four plays later.
Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs. Cash 💰
(via @NFL)
After the game, Allen was asked what his reaction was like when Daboll called the play. But it was actually the opposite because the third-year quarterback revealed he was the one that asked for the play to be called.
“I went to (quarterback coach) (Ken) Dorsey and I said this is the play I want called and Daboll gave me the opportunity to do it and he trusts me in those situations,” Allen said during his post-game video conference call.
It was the longest pass of the season for Allen, who has thrown for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, and Daboll has dialed up a lot of special plays for the offense. But, when a play like that hits and Allen was the one to call it, he said there is a little more satisfaction when it results in a big gain.
“It means the world to me to know he trusts me enough to listen to my input,” Allen said. “He’s been doing a great job calling plays for us and we’ve been executing them but when it’s a play that I suggest to him and he calls it and it hits, it feels a little extra special.”
Moving Up In The Bills Record Books
With his performance on Sunday, Allen moved into second place in Bills franchise history for passing yards in a season.
He became just the second player in team history to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a single season. Allen could also own a majority of Buffalo’s single-season passing records by the end of the year.
He’s three passing touchdowns away from tying Jim Kelly’s record. He’s 359 passing yards away from Bledsoe’s record and his 285.7 passing yards per game currently owns the top spot in Bills history.
READ NEXT