1 – Where Beuerlein sees Josh Allen's season going
Prognosticators had difficulty getting a read on Josh Allen in the lead up to the 2018 draft. Most scouts and analysts agreed that the 6-foot-5 Allen, with his incredibly strong arm and elite athleticism, had the makeup of a franchise quarterback. Allen, however, did not dominate Mountain West opposition while playing at Wyoming, leading some to believe that his game would not translate to the professional level.
Through his first three professional starts, Allen has basically come as advertised. He has showcased his arm strength, poise, and athleticism on occasion, but has also made a few mistakes. Allen made a few noticeable errors in Buffalo's Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers, one of them being a first-half lob into the end zone that was intercepted by Jaire Alexander.
Allen finished the Week 4 contest with a completion percentage of 48 percent, throwing for 151 yards and two interceptions. Allen's rough outing against the Packers came just one week after his fantastic performance against the Vikings, a game in which he completed 68 percent of his passes for 196 yards and a score.
CBS analyst Steve Beuerlein feels as though fans shouldn't overreact to Allen's performances, whether they be strong or weak. The former quarterback thinks that Allen's ceiling is incredibly high, and he doesn't think that the road bumps he encounters in his rookie season will impact his development.
"I still think Josh Allen is the cream of the crop as far as long-term potential of his class goes," Beuerlein said. "I love the guy. But he is also going to be the guy that I think you are going to see more of these [bad games] than the others… I do think he's going to get it figured out as the year goes along."
2 - Peter King urges fans to give Allen 'time'
Buffalo's Week 4 matchup with the Packers is a game that the team would like to forget about sooner rather than later.
The offense struggled in the loss, totaling just 145 net yards. The unit tallied only 11 first downs, and went without a red zone possession as they failed to put any points up on the scoreboard.
Rookie quarterback Josh Allen finished the contest with a 36.3 quarterback rating. Though Week 4 was rough for Allen and the rest of the team, NBC Sports writer Peter King doesn't see any reason to panic. He knows that the Bills are a young team with a young quarterback under center, and he feels as though Allen is only going to improve with time.
"I think what I see most of all is a guy who really wants to be good, who's got the right approach to the game, who understands it's a marathon, not a sprint," King said. ". . . This is a long, involved process. Josh Allen is going to be a good NFL quarterback, I believe, but you've got to give him time. You've got to give every one of these guys time. If you do, I think at the end of the day, you'll be rewarded. Impatience is really kryptonite to young quarterbacks."
3 - Brian Daboll praises the hard-working and 'smart' Zay Jones
Through the first four games of the 2018 season, Buffalo's receiving corps is averaging 82.5 yards per game. When asked about the concerns he had regarding that stat, Bills head coach Sean McDermott responded with "where do you want to start?"
Buffalo's receiving woes do not stem from a lack of talent. The Bills employ a number of talented wideouts, with Kelvin Benjamin and former second-round pick Zay Jones headlining the team's receiving corps. Jones is actually the team's leading receiver at this point, as he's caught 10 passes for 144 yards through four games.
While offensive coordinator Brian Daboll will admit that the receiving corps has struggled, he feels as though Jones has worked incredibly hard throughout the season, something that has impressed him.
"He's a really hard worker," Daboll said. "I know he doesn't have a bunch of numbers, but in terms of his work ethic, and he's playing some multiple spots right now. Again, he fits in the category of 'nothing is good enough'. He grinds; he's a worker. You see him on tape, he's working really hard. [He's been] playing tough, a smart player. We're going to keep bringing him along."
Jones and his fellow receivers have not been satisfied with their production thus far, something they're working toward fixing.
"We are competitors," Jones said. "Everyone expects more from themselves. For myself, I am just going to keep trying to improve to help this team win football games."
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