The Buffalo Bills weren't able to come away with the win against the Eagles but this was an incredible performance by Josh Allen. He finished the game completing 29 of 51 for 339 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and one interception.
This week was also his most productive game on the ground this season as he ran for 81 yards on only nine carries and found the end zone twice. He was able to do all this in less than ideal weather as it was pretty close to steady rain for most of the game.
These are some of the major observations from Josh Allen's performance for the Buffalo Bills in Week 12.
Josh Allen setting himself up running the ball with the pass
One of the biggest cliches in football is that offenses have to establish the run to set up the pass. However, for Josh Allen when he establishes the pass it makes him more effective as a runner.
The way that defenses have to account for the pass opens up more running lanes for him. It forces defenses to drop more players back and if Allen gets one lane, he is usually picking up at least six or seven yards and unlikely to go down on first contact.
This was the most rushing attempts he had, which was only one more than he had against the Bengals, but he had 35 more rushing yards than his season high. The Bills don't need Josh Allen to run a lot but when the offense is clicking, it makes it more dynamic.
Josh Allen is trusting other players not named Stefon Diggs
It may not have been the big game that Stefon Diggs had earlier in the season but he was still productive with six receptions, 74 yards and an excellent touchdown reception at the end of the first half. However, the one thing that stands out for Josh Allen is that he is no longer leaning heavily on Diggs and is moving the ball around.
This week, it was Gabe Davis leading the way with six receptions, 105 receiving yards and a touchdown. However, James Cook also tied the team lead with six receptions followed by Dalton Kincaid who had five. Khalil Shakir and Latavius Murray were the other two players to make catches but they each had three.
In fact, the Bills had six players who had five or more targets in this game and it's clear Josh Allen is trusting the players around him.
Josh Allen is no longer forcing throws
This might be more due to the Bills changing offensive coordinator from Ken Dorsey to Joe Brady but it is clear that Allen is no longer forcing throws, and in turn not throwing as many interceptions. Prior to the change, Allen didn't look comfortable and was often times seeming to throw it because it was the play that was called and he didn't have a better option.
However, now Allen is moving the ball around and getting everyone involved. He is not putting the ball in jeopardy of being intercepted by the other team. While he did have an interception today against the Eagles, it is easy to see why he made the throw and it was more due to the defense doing a great job to disguise coverage versus forcing a throw to make a play.
The good thing is that even with protecting the ball more, he has not really lost the aggressive throws down the field. Last week, it was a throw to Khalil Shakir that was a perfect throw for a touchdown and this week against the Eagles he had a perfect throw to Diggs at the goal line that gave him a chance to make the play.
Josh Allen continues to make plays late in the game
Josh Allen is still looking for his first career overtime win but it is hard to blame him for the loss. In the past, Allen has had to make fourth quarter comebacks because of turnovers earlier in the game that put the Bills behind.
However, this week the Buffalo Bills played a great team and no matter the score the Eagles were going to come back. The question was whether or not the Bills would fold or be able to stick with them.
They definitely stuck with them for most of the game and even with the Eagles taking a lead midway through the fourth quarter, Josh Allen was able to respond. He helped lead the offense on a drive that went over five minutes and 10 plays that ended with a touchdown pass to Gabe Davis and the lead.
Then in overtime, Josh Allen led a 12-play drive that almost ended with a win but there was miscommunication between Allen and Gabe Davis. There are not many quarterbacks that can play the way Josh Allen does when the game is on the line.