Ken Dorsey faces biggest test as offensive coordinator without Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills were forced to make a change at offensive coordinator this offseason when Brian Daboll was named head coach of the New York Giants. This meant Josh Allen for the first time in his NFL career would have someone else in his ear during the game.
The Bills elected to go with a familiar voice in Ken Dorsey, who has been a quarterback coach for the past few years. However, there was a certain level of risk because Dorsey has never called plays in the NFL.
For the majority of the year, the Bills’ offense hasn’t missed a beat and is one of the best offenses in the league. While it is never easy in the NFL, having a quarterback like Josh Allen does make it slightly easier. He is so unique in what he can do on the field from his big arm to his mobility and making plays with his legs.
Ken Dorsey faces biggest challenge as offensive coordinator without Josh Allen
However, Ken Dorsey will now really be tested on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings with Josh Allen availability up in the air. The Bills have built an offense around their star quarterback and Case Keenum doesn’t bring the same skill set that Allen does.
The ability of Josh Allen to make plays with his legs helps keep the offense on track. This season, Allen has 62 rushing attempts and has picked up first downs on 31 of them.
The Buffalo Bills are unlikely to get those same plays from Case Keenum so how does Ken Dorsey adjust his play calling with this in mind? The most important thing will be to stay ahead in down and distance.
That means getting yards on first and second down to avoid being in third and long against the Vikings. The Buffalo Bills will likely look to run a little bit more with Devin Singletary, lean on Stefon Diggs but also stretch the field.
The Bills will need to stretch the field horizontally to capitalize on the deep throws. This means dump offs and screens to the running backs that will force the Vikings to cover every part of the field. I would expect Nyheim Hines is a big part of the offense this week.
The absence of Josh Allen certainly creates challenges for the Buffalo Bills and it will be interesting to see how Ken Dorsey is able to adapt his play calling.
