On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills were reminded of the privilege of having a special talent at quarterback. In a game against two likely playoff teams, Josh Allen put the team on his back, leading the Bills to a 44-32 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The star quarterback had six total touchdowns (three passing and three rushing) and accounted for 357 yards.
As special as the game was from the perennial Pro Bowler, his performance is overshadowing an unfortunate reality for Buffalo. The Bills were abysmal against the run on Sunday, and if not for Allen’s Herculean effort, they would have lost. That’s the grim reality for the Bills: for them to seriously contend this season, with such a bad run defense, Allen has to consistently deliver performances like the one on Sunday, and that may not be sustainable.
Bills' bad run defense puts a lot of pressure on Josh Allen to be otherworldly
Struggling against the run wasn’t just a problem on Sunday, it’s been an issue all year for Buffalo. On the season, the Bills are allowing 153 rushing yards per game, which is 31st in the NFL. Buffalo is allowing 5.4 yards per carry as well, also 31st in the league. This inability to stop the run is why the Bills currently have three losses, and a few other close calls.
When Buffalo was upset by the Miami Dolphins, it’s because Miami rushed for 197 yards, averaging 6.2 yards a carry. When the Atlanta Falcons picked up their win against the Bills, they had 210 rushing yards, on 6.6 yards a rush. Even in Buffalo’s most recent game, the Buccaneers had 202 rushing yards, averaging 5.2 yards a pop. That’s why it took 44 points and six touchdowns from Allen to escape with a win.
The season has already shown Allen probably won’t be able to play like that every game. While he’s great, it’s not a good formula to bank on a quarterback going on an all-time great run in the postseason, as the only path to success. That’s why the Bills should be concerned about how far they can go this year. The AFC has good teams that can run the ball, and they will certainly put pressure on the Bills quarterback to deliver. Because of Buffalo’s run defense, Josh Allen won’t have room to be anything but transcendent.