Josh Allen has had a solid season overall, but the defending MVP has shown a little bit of regression as well. Compared to last season, he’s turning the ball over a little bit more and he’s got to learn to throw the ball away when the play starts to collapse. He’s coming off a Week 12 beating from the Houston Texans who hit him 12 times, which included getting sacked 8 times.
Now, he will be without both of his tackles in Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. Allen could be in for a world of trouble against Pittsburgh’s ferocious defensive line led by T.J. Watt.
However, this could also be a game where Allen turns into Superman in a must-win game for Buffalo, despite being 7-4. The Bills are not in the worst spot in the conference, but they certainly are far from the best and they are just trying to make the playoffs at this point. In order to do that, there’s a chance where Allen may just have to do it all himself which we have seen before.
Before getting taken down in what felt like every play against the Texans, the Bills played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the week before and Allen finished with six total touchdowns in a 44-32 win. It was the second time in his career where he had 3 passing and 3 rushing touchdowns in a game. The first time came in Week 14 last season against the Rams.
Could he do it again against this Pittsburgh defense? One analyst is making the bold prediction that Allen will…
Josh Allen predicted to have MVP-like performance vs. Steelers
Former NFL running back and current NFL analyst Maurice-Jones Drew is predicting that Allen will “rebound with another six-touchdown outing”, just like he had in Week 11 against Tampa.
"Allen and the Bills' offense mightily struggled against the Texans last week. Allen didn't log a touchdown for the first time since Week 2. He gets back on track this week by posting six total scores -- for the second time in three games! -- to lead Buffalo to a win over Pittsburgh. "Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL.com
At this point, it wouldn’t be a surprise that this could be the only way the Bills leave Pittsburgh with a win to stay alive in the AFC playoff race. With Buffalo’s wide receiver problem, despite signing Brandin Cooks and Gabe Davis to the active roster, Allen may have to make magic himself once again to keep things right for the Bills.
Don’t get me wrong, if Allen were to have this kind of game it would be exciting for Bills fans. At the same though, it’s not sustainable and it should not be the only reason why Bills win games going into December.