The Buffalo Bills didn’t have a great season in 2018, but still provided fans with some amazing moments that are hard to forget.
I have mentioned several times already that this week will be my last covering the Buffalo Bills here at BuffaLowDown.
The end of this journey got me thinking back to the best moments from the 2018 season. The team was new to me and I had a great time going through the ups and downs alongside all of you.
Yet one specific moment from the season stands out to me above all the rest. That would be the first quarter of the Week 3 game against the Minnesota Vikings. A game when the 0-2 Bills went north as more than two-touchdown underdogs.
In case Vikings fans forgot, the Bills led 17-0 after the first quarter en route to a 27-6 victory.
This game came after two brutal losses and Josh Allen was firmly set in as the starter. No one was expecting too much after he was rushed into action, so naturally he proceeded to run for a touchdown within the first five minutes of the game and throw another touchdown less than five minutes later.
The first quarter was absolutely wild as the Vikings fumbled on their first two possessions. Kirk Cousins ended up throwing 55 passes in the game for only 296 yards. It was glorious to watch the big-money Cousins get outplayed by a rookie making his second career start.
That first quarter performance from Allen set the tone for the rest of the season. He showed he could be a bruiser in the run game while also showing some nice touch on some throws. His stats don’t jump off the page but they didn’t need to considering he was finishing short drives thanks to the defense forcing turnovers.
The Bills entered the game as arguably the worst team in all of football, according to national rankings, and were up about 34-0 after the first quarter when adding in the points from the spread. And this was against a team that entered the year as a Super Bowl contender.
I remember staring at my screen with my arms raised for most of the game, but especially in the first quarter. I was in shock like everyone else. Yet I was also spoiled because I expected this level of play to continue. Perhaps it would have if Allen didn’t get hurt in Houston.
Alas, this game saved the season and prevented what could have been an ugly year for the players and the fans.