Josh Allen’s 2021 touchdown air-raid train continues! In the last Volume, we wrapped things up with two phenomenal throws against the usually hapless New York Jets. This time we’re starting off with a couple touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts. Believe it or not, the Buffalo Bills did put up some points in that game.
Play 1
This throw from Allen is into a tight window. Stefon Diggs’s body control and the timing between the two is nuts. Last time we talked about Allen’s “safe” gambles rather than throwaways. I think this falls into the same category.
Play 2
Surely he’s beyond the line of scrimmage! Well, guess not. Allen is full-on running (look at his arms) and still sees the passing touchdown come open, AND recognizes he still has time to throw it. It’s possible he gets the score on his own, but he trusts his teammates to make the play rather than having to go into hero mode.
Play 3
Most of these clips discuss all the things Josh Allen does well, but for this Dawson Knox touchdown all of that is a bit minimized. Allen executes the quick pass very well, but it’s harder to call him a star here. The blocks and Knox stand out more, which is completely fine. If every score requires a heroic effort, we should be critiquing the play design/call.
Play 4
This play is similar to above, with Stefon Diggs and his route being the primary highlight. Allen executes very well, and the chemistry is another highlight, but this is another case where it’s comforting to know that Allen doesn’t always need to be the savior.
Play 5
We’ve seen it in past Volumes of this series. Josh Allen handles pressure very well. It’s likely that Dawson Knox comes free but the defender slipping, after what looks like a potential penalty, seals the deal. A huge shoutout to Knox too, as he’s able to hit the brakes and turn upfield.
Play 6
The Bills are in field goal range and the New Orleans Saints aren’t likely to be outpacing Buffalo with a depleted roster. Brian Daboll had been leaning on a conservative offense most of the game and decided to take it easy with a gamble similar to what we’ve talked about Allen doing. It’s always possible Matt Breida will break free, and he did with some wiggle and blocking. But this comes across as a safe call that’s intended to preserve the three points. For the record, I don’t disagree with the game plan.
Play 7
Interestingly, while Daboll was pretty conservative against the depleted Saints, he went back to leaning more on the aggressive passing offense against the New England Patriots in the now infamous “Wind Game.” I’ll link the charts to prove it in just a second. I blame this throw, which would be pretty darn good without wind. I think this one convinced the team that they could beat the weather too and never adjusted.
Here are Josh Allen’s pass distribution charts for the Saints and Patriots game. Not only did Allen throw more passes against New England, check out the average depth of target. It’s pretty glaring.
Play 8
This is a good throw balancing the need to clear one defender and beat two others to the spot where Knox will be. It’s the timing and poise we keep seeing from Allen, but also a good highlight of his ability to keep playing even when things aren’t going his way. Hopefully as Allen stacks games like this, we see less-and-less of the “Sugar Rush Josh” appear.
Play 9
Buffalo is still playing catch up, the pass rush is coming in hot, and this timing pass needs to be just about perfect to work. Good thing it was exactly that and more.
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