Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen has statement game to outduel Russell Wilson
After a string of mediocre performances, Josh Allen was able to lift the Buffalo Bills to a statement win over Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks.
If there was ever a time where the Buffalo Bills needed Josh Allen to prove doubters wrong, a pivotal matchup against Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks was the right time.
Improving to 7-2, Buffalo needed this victory with the Miami Dolphins making strides with Tuo Tagoviola earning another win. The encouraging part was seeing Allen look dominant from start to finish when the pressure was on him to keep up with Wilson.
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Not only was Allen dealing with the mental preparation heading into this game, he also had to deal with the death of his grandmother the night before. Despite having to overcome the emotional struggles, Allen made it clear that he was going to put his best foot forward.
"“He said he wanted to play,” head coach Sean McDermott said after the game. “We just felt like he was going to have to compartmentalize for the better part of 24 hours in order to get through the game and that’s what he did, and then it was emotional after the game. Not an easy thing to play through.”"
While Allen has shown that he can throw for 300-plus passing yards (he had 415 yards on Sunday) it was more important to see that he could finish drives. Getting three touchdown passes and running in another score was certainly an encouraging development.
It should say something that Stefon Diggs is the NFL- leader with 813 receiving yard as his presence in the offence has given the Bills a true bonafide elite receiver that they had been lacking for years. Couple that with a running game that is slowly making strides and it’s clear that they are on the right path.
On top of that, the Bills defense was able to limit Seattle’s offense and force Wilson to make mistakes that had been uncharacteristic of him this season. Getting five sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptons against a high-powered Seahawks’ offense shouldn’t be overlooked considering the struggles the defense has been through.
They now go up against the Arizona Cardinals who suffered a tough loss to the Dolphins but have seen Kyler Murray light up opposing defenses both through the air and on the ground. With the Bills offense finding their groove, they will need to keep their momentum going.