1 - McCoy on why Allen is his favorite player
The Bills knocked off a Super Bowl favorite in Week 3, upsetting the Minnesota Vikings with a shocking 27-6 win at U.S. Bank Stadium. After the game, Buffalo running back LeSean McCoy took to Twitter to profess his affinity for his new favorite player: quarterback Josh Allen.
McCoy missed the game after suffering a rib injury in Buffalo's Week 2 matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. Allen took control of the Bills' offense in McCoy's absence, completing 15 passes for 196 yards and one touchdown. Allen also picked up 39 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
McCoy went on to clarify what it is about Allen that makes him his "favorite player," praising his talent, work ethic, and competitive nature before reiterating his love for the quarterback.
"Well, like I said before, I'm not big on rookies, but certain guys you can see it," McCoy said. "You can tell he's one of them. He's smart, he has a dog in him. He wants to compete at a high level, he wants to win, he lays his body out on the line. I'm sure a lot of franchise quarterbacks wouldn't do that, and it's no secret that he's our franchise guy. I love him. I love his talent, and he's out there just playing. Everything is like a learning experience for him, but for the most part he's just got the natural feel for the game. He's a gamer, so I love that."
2 - Allen, Edmunds among NFL's top rookies through Week 3
The Bills landed two starters in the first round of the 2018 draft.
Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds, who were selected with the seventh and 16th overall picks, respectively, have both played significant roles for Buffalo in the 2018 season. After being named the team's starting quarterback after Week 1, Allen has constructed a 1-1 record, with the victory coming against the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings.
Edmunds, a 20-year-old athletic anomaly, has already made an impact for the Bills at the middle linebacker position. He's currently leading the team in tackles with 24.
According to ESPN, Allen and Edmunds have been two of the best rookies in the NFL through three games. In his Week 3 rookie rankings, ESPN Senior Writer Jeff Legwold ranked both Allen and Edmunds in his top 10. Edmunds came in at No. 7 on the list while Allen came in at No. 10.
Though four rookie quarterbacks saw playing time in Week 3, Allen is the only quarterback who appears on this week's list.
Allen and Edmunds will look to move further up the list with solid Week 4 outings.
3 - Kay Adams compares Josh Allen to former NFL MVP
Buffalo's front office has some familiarity with Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane was on the Panthers' staff when they took Newton with the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. Head coach Sean McDermott spent six years going up against Newton in practice, serving as Carolina's defensive coordinator from 2011-2016.
When Beane and McDermott took the reins of their own franchise, they chose to build their roster around a quarterback whose mold matches that of Newton. The two executives watched Newton achieve great success in Carolina, as he earned NFL MVP honors in 2015 and led the Panthers to a Super Bowl 50 appearance. When faced with the task of drafting their own franchise quarterback, Beane and McDermott looked for a tall, athletic quarterback with a strong arm.
Josh Allen fit that description like a glove.
Allen was often compared to Newton in the pre-draft process. Through his first two starts, Allen is already living up to the comparison.
Thus far in 2018, the rookie has thrown for 515 yards and two touchdowns. He has also showcased his athleticism, as he has rushed for 97 yards and two scores. Though still incredibly young, Allen is already reminding Good Morning Football host Kay Adams of Newton.
"I'm going to go with Josh Allen here as my most intriguing storyline, the face of the guy behind one of the biggest upsets in NFL history," Adams said. "He took an $84 million quarterback's team to the cleaners and now he gets to go to Lambeau and face the highest paid player in NFL history on his home turf. Can he do it? I don't know. I know that he did hit eight different wide receivers in this win over the Vikings. He leads the Bills in rushing, he's a top five quarterback in terms of rushing, and he might get LeSean McCoy back this week.
"He can throw, we've known that forever. He can certainly run. He can hurdle like the best of them. He's got this Cam Newton sort of thing going on, where he's running it, he rushed in for two scores. He's got an arm, he's got this crazy talent."
