Josh Allen was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his dominant performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2. His 11th player of the week award surpasses Jim Kelly for the most such awards in team history.
Allen completed 31 of his 37 attempts, throwing three touchdown passes and zero interceptions. His passer rating of 124.5 was second only behind quarterback Kirk Cousins and is Allen's 11th-highest rating in his career.
The Bills' sixth-year starter rebounded from a rough outing against the New York Jets in the Bills' first game of the season. Allen had been critical of his performance earlier in the week and said that last week's struggles allowed him to better appreciate his success in Week 2.
"The thing is with this game, man, it gives you the lowest lows, it gives you the highest highs," Allen said. "I loved feeling like I felt last week. I really do. Cause it makes the good feel that much better."
Allen efficiently commanded the offense Sunday, scoring touchdowns on five of his eight drives, with another leading to a field goal. The Bills only punted once, with their only other non-scoring drive ending with a turnover on downs at the Raiders' 1-yard line.
Allen took what the Raiders secondary gave him, with 26 of his 31 completions, and all three of his touchdown passes, traveling under 10 yards in the air. He was smarter with his deeper shots, connecting on five of eight of his throws beyond the 10-yard line. One of his deep passes drew a pass interference call to set the Bills up for their second touchdown of the game.
As one of the premier rushing quarterbacks in the league, Allen uses his rare combination of size and speed to bully defenders as he often accepts contact in exchange for gaining extra yards. However, in the interest of ensuring his long-term health, both Head Coach Sean McDermott and Offensive Coordinator Ken Dorsey expressed the importance of minimizing Allen's open field exposure to defenders hungry to put a lick on the quarterback.
"As Josh and I have discussed, being a great decision maker not only means where you throw the ball, but also what you do when the balls in your hands just overall, and living to play another down," McDermott said in the week leading up to their win over the Raiders.
Allen saw much less contact on Sunday than he did against the Raiders. While the stat sheet will show that he was sacked twice, one was simply a run out of bounds on a busted play. Allen only ran four times, with a 15-yard scramble negated due to offsetting penalties. Two were quarterback sneaks on a pair of successful fourth down conversions while the fourth was within the Raiders' 5-yard line and saw Allen attempt one of his trademark leaps – over former Wyoming teammate Malcolm Epps.
"He got me," Allen joked after the game. "He's still my guy. I was up there a little bit."
Allen has another hurdle to clear this Sunday when the Bills travel to Washington to face a ferocious defensive line. The game will kickoff at 1:00 p.m.
