1. ESPN says this player had a breakthrough game against Dallas
ESPN staff writer Kevin Seifert dissected Week 13’s quarterback performances and listed Josh Allen as the quarterback who had a breakthrough game.
Unlike Brady, Allen doesn't play often in prime time. So you can forgive much of the viewing public for its surprise that Allen played a really good game in the Bills' 26-15 victory over the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. Most of the attention centered around a physical fourth-down rushing conversion, but in some ways it was also the best passing performance of his career.
Allen's two touchdown performance against the Cowboys set a new franchise record with eight straight games of two or more touchdowns, which is also the longest active streak in the NFL.
Allen set career highs in completion rate (79.2%), yards per attempt (10.5) and passer rating (120.7), albeit against a Cowboys defense that has intercepted only four passes this season and rarely challenges opposing passers. Allen also rushed for a touchdown, in the process becoming the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to accumulate at least five passing and rushing touchdowns in one month.
Allen's 12 consecutive passes in the game was the most of his career.
2. Micah Hyde: We ride or die with him
Micah Hyde joined The Jim Rome Show this week to relive Buffalo's Thanksgiving victory over Dallas. Hyde pointed to Josh Allen as someone who set the tone for the team with his career day.
"That's our quarterback man, we love him," Hyde explained. "He goes out there and competes every day whether it's practice or a football game. We ride or die with him. It was awesome to see him go out there on national TV on Thanksgiving, a huge game, and just be himself. He's not trying to be anybody else. He understands the type of football player he is and that's why we love him. It was good to see him go out there and compete and have fun."
Buffalo's last five wins have come by a margin of 10 points or more. When it came time to pick who would win between the Bills and the Cowboys ahead of the game, everyone on the CBS pregame show and NFL GameDay Morning chose Dallas over Buffalo. Hyde explained it doesn't matter who believes in them, the most important part is playing their brand of football.
"It's kind of a common theme this year of people picking against us," Hyde said. "At the end of the day we don't buy into that statement stuff. We just go out there and play our brand of football, control what we can control. I think we play so well on the road and just to go there and be fearless, coach was preaching that all week, that's what we did."
3. Where Bills fans can find Flutie Flakes this month
Former Bills quarterback Doug Flutie is bringing back Flutie Flakes for its 20th anniversary. The cereal was first released in 1998-1999 and will relaunch on December 8, 2019. Flutie Flakes will be on display Sunday when Flutie is honored as a "Legend of the Game" ahead of the Ravens game.
ESPN writer Michael Rothstein wrote about the return explaining Flutie never thought his cereal would make a return 20 years later.
"I was surprised it did what it did when it did it," Flutie told ESPN on Monday. "Then we came out with a 10th anniversary and those did OK, did fairly well. Then they started talking 20th anniversary and I'm like, 'We're pushing this, aren't we?'"
You can purchase the 20th Anniversary box of Flutie Flakes as well as t-shirts at the stadium on Sunday. In addition, Flutie will do a limited signing of boxes. Sunday also marks the first time in several years the former QB will be back in Buffalo.
"I haven't been back to Buffalo, really, for anything football-related, in 20 years," Flutie said. "I've gone to Jim Kelly's golf tournament, hung out, done a couple things, but it's really cool to be asked to come back 20 years later."
The week following the Ravens game, the cereal will go on sale at Wegman's and online at www.plbsports.com/flutie. A portion of the proceeds will go towards the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation of Autism.
