It seems almost a lifetime ago when Josh Allen was suddenly thrown into a tire-fire game at Baltimore against the Ravens in the season opener on September 8, 2018. The 47-3 final score didn’t even begin to reveal the true nature of the beat down the Bills took on that fateful day… the day the ‘Nathan Peterman Debacle’ was born.
But it wasn’t Peterman’s two-interception performance resulting in Josh Allen being forced to play about a year earlier than expected that I remember most about that nightmare of a game.
What still sticks in my mind the most about that game is a play when Josh Allen got hit out of bounds. Allen immediately got up and went after the Ravens’ defender and the referees quickly stepped in to keep the hostility from going any further.
That one moment in time solidified Josh Allen in my mind as a quarterback who was not going to allow anyone to challenge his manhood on the field. He went six-of-15 for 74 yards that day, rushed four times for 26 yards and basically looked like a deer in the headlights trying to read a very good and opportunistic defense.
It certainly was Allen’s ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment.
The relationship between Allen and Baltimore’s defense only deepened when they played against each other again in 2019. Allen’s paltry 17-of-39 for 146 yards and one touchdown that day was reflective of his overall poor performance against a defense constantly harassing him into making bad decisions and playing totally off kilter.
So how will the “new” Josh Allen fare against these mighty Ravens and their predatory defense?
Anybody’s guess, and I’ll leave it to all the hoo-ha experts in analytics to figure out the best game plan on Saturday night in Buffalo. However, I would like to go on record addressing why I think this match up might be different than the first two with respect to Josh Allen’s mindset going into this game.
No doubt Allen’s early legacy against the Ravens has been decidedly advantage-Ravens to date. Their defense has been inside Josh’s head and believes they will be able to evoke “Bad Josh” or “Josh playing hero ball”. They will use whatever strategy necessary to bring out the worst in Allen. It’s a solid strategy.
We don’t yet know how Josh will respond to the Ravens’ likely tactics. There are many reasons in my mind to believe Allen will respond differently in the upcoming matchup. He’s much more comfortable weaving inside or outside the pocket, thanks to an offensive line giving him a lot more time and protection than a year ago.
But this also isn’t the “same old Josh” scanning the field and determining what type of defense is being presented to him. He’s reading zones and blitzes much better than he did even a year ago.
Allen’s improved accuracy and the quality of wide receivers he has to throw to this season have also allowed Josh to develop supreme confidence throwing the ball, even in tight windows. But that isn’t even where Josh has shown the most growth in my opinion.
Allen’s improved on virtually every metric this season, but the one you can’t easily measure is how to recognize a specific defense and adjust on the fly. Brian Daboll often refers to the security he feels in allowing Josh to adapt or change any play on the field. This could prove very useful on Saturday night.
We should also recognize the mental edge the Bills will have playing this game in Orchard Park. If weather proves to be a factor as predicted at the time I write this, it would certainly seem to give Tyler Bass an advantage having experience kicking in swirling winds and snow at Bills Stadium. Furthermore, with fans in the stands once again BillsMafia will bring the juice.
At the moment some in the national media are slobbering all over the Ravens. That also favors the Bills because it’s been a minute since the media doubted their ability to win a game. I have no doubt Sean McDermott is setting the table and adjusting the mindset of his players accordingly.
In fact, the quarterback’s mindset might be one of the more important ones we consider with respect to this game. Stay tuned as the next chapter in the ‘Josh Allen Experience’ is about be written on Saturday night in Orchard Park.
Bring on the Ravens.
It might be chilly.
~The Caboose~