The Bills have Josh Allen. The Patriots do not. (Ty Dunne article, paywall)

[Logic]

I'm only able to read the opening section of this article, as the rest of the breakdown is behind a paywall. Still, the title and the opening bits alone are worth sharing. My favorite bits are bolded.

https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-bills-have-josh-allen-the-patriots

 

"There’s justifiable hesitancy any time any team jacks up the quarterback market.

Too many franchises suffer from buyer’s remorse a few months into breaking the bank.

Then, there’s Josh Allen. The $258 million contract the Buffalo Bills handed their long-lost savior felt like armed robbery on Sunday. Given the lost bodies, the stakes, the pressure and the presence of the greatest coach ever on the other sideline, this was Allen’s finest performance to date.

The Bills’ 33-21 win over the New England Patriots felt like a true flip of the script.

For two decades, the Patriots delivered this exact same message to all of Western New York: Our quarterback is better than yours. Foxborough is where the Bills’ dreams have gone to die every December. But not with Allen. Not with possibly the best quarterback in the sport. Every excuse was neatly lined up into this colossal AFC East rematch and all Allen did was throw the Bills on his back and make anything seem possible.

No Cole Beasley and no Gabriel Davis? Fine. All Isaiah McKenzie did was have the game of his life. The offensive line was mashed up again and then lost starting guard Ike Boettger to a torn Achilles? No sweat. Allen baited one, two, three rushers at a time before flicking first downs across his body. A run defense that’s been gashed for a good month was without defensive tackle Star Lotulelei due to personal reasons and mostly gashed again. Big whoop. It did not matter. And it’s taken four years but maybe, just maybe, Allen was able to rewire how his head coach manages a game, too. There was no punting at midfield this day. Hell, the Bills didn’t need to punt at all.

Sean McDermott finally coached like he had an MVP candidate at quarterback with his foot firmly on the accelerator.

And this is the effect the best players in the sport have.

They affect everyone and everything.

Allen is more than capable of throwing the Bills on his back and taking them as far as he pleases. We know Patrick Mahomes can do this. Maybe Jonathan Taylor can. Maybe Derrick Henry can, too, if he returns. The list of such singular forces of nature in the AFC likely ends there. On Sunday, Allen completed 30 of 47 passes for 314 yards and rushed for another 64 yards. He threw three touchdowns, was not sacked once and did not throw an interception.

This wasn’t against the Texans, the Jets or the Washington Football Team.

This offense imposed its will on a defense surrendering an NFL-low 16.2 points per game into this weekend. If not for two drops in the end zone, the Bills would’ve hung 40 on Bill Belichick’s defense. Which is remarkable. Most of this season, New England’s patriarch has penned brilliant gameplans for the best quarterbacks in the game — he made Tom Brady look ordinary, remember. And in the biggest game of the season, the greatest coach ever had approximately zero answers for Allen.

That’s why Allen’s performance this day cannot be illustrated in numbers.

This is the game that should have bubbled all of the 2018 ugliness to the surface. Belichick should have confused Allen on the back end with a variety of zone coverages, pressured him up front with Buffalo’s line decimated and — again — kicked the Bills to the curb.
 

Instead, again and again, Allen was the chief demoralizer..."

 

[RobbRiddick]

Nice article, sadly the first bit right after pay wall reads "But I'd still rather have Mac Jones"

[HamSandwhich]

Where is that “yes! Yesssss! Yessss!…I’ll have what she’s having” gif when you need it? 

[BuffaloBill]

What I think was best about Allen yesterday was that there were several plays where he took what he was given. This included check downs and throwing the ball away. Maybe Josh has settled into the thought that sometimes the simple play is the best play. 

[Nextmanup]

A lot of us have been calling for McDermott to go "Foot to the floor" for a long time.

 

It's like the message has slowly sunken in, and this is a good thing for Bills fans.

 

I want to see us follow up with strong, decisive wins these last 2 weeks.

 

And then it's a whole  new season in the playoffs, with the Bills hosting a playoff game and having all the momentum.

 

We might even get to play NE again!

 

 

[HamSandwhich]

1 minute ago, BuffaloBill said:

What I think was best about Allen yesterday was that there were several plays where he took what he was given. This included check downs and throwing the ball away. Maybe Josh has settled into the thought that sometimes the simple play is the best play. 

That’s exactly right, it’s what I was saying with a sideways grin to my father-in-law who’s a Pats fan.  I knew it was going to be a good game when I saw him not trying to press the issue. He growing game to game, he is already great but I think he can be even greater! Sky is the limit! 

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Don’t forget the Knox TD that was called back for ineligible man downfield, where they wound up with a FG; they really might have together with the other slight misses, hung a 50 burger on these Pats—still overall a welcome return of what we knew these guys are capable of! 

[Coffeesforclosers]

Finish 11-6 (still feels weird writing that), win the Division (again), stay healthy.

 

Beat whoever we play in the first round of the playoffs (Miami again? New England again?)...then enjoy the ride from there.

 

But first beat Atlanta, and stay healthy.

[Big Turk]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBill said:

What I think was best about Allen yesterday was that there were several plays where he took what he was given. This included check downs and throwing the ball away. Maybe Josh has settled into the thought that sometimes the simple play is the best play. 

 

He threw check downs several times in the first couple drives. If he is going to start doing this regularly, the Bills might be unstoppable on offense.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Big Turk

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Don’t forget the Knox TD that was called back for ineligible man downfield, where they wound up with a FG; they really might have together with the other slight misses, hung a 50 burger on these Pats—still overall a welcome return of what we knew these guys are capable of! 

 

And Kumerow dropped a ball he has to catch earlier in that drive. Add that to the touchdown Sanders dropped in the first half on 4th down and there are an extra 11 points straight away. The Pats didn't stop us all day.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

And Kumerow dropped a ball he has to catch earlier in that drive. Add that to the touchdown Sanders dropped in the first half on 4th down and there are an extra 11 points straight away. The Pats didn't stop us all day.  

 

That's the thing when the backups have to step forward.   You never know what you're gonna get. 

McKenzie stepped up. 

Kumerow stepped back.

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, HamSandwhich said:

Where is that “yes! Yesssss! Yessss!…I’ll have what she’s having” gif when you need it? 

Edited December 27, 2021 by The Wiz

[dave mcbride]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

And Kumerow dropped a ball he has to catch earlier in that drive. Add that to the touchdown Sanders dropped in the first half on 4th down and there are an extra 11 points straight away. The Pats didn't stop us all day.  

Small nit to pick: the Sanders drop led to the Pats starting at the 1 yard line, which led to the Bills getting the ball at the Pats 40 yard line after the punt return. They scored a TD on that drive. It's impossible to say they would have scored on that drive if they had started it at their own 25 yard line. 

[ToGoGo]

Wasn't Dunne a big Doug Whaley / Tyrod / Mahomes fan? 

 

Same guy or am I mistaking him for someone else? 

[eball]

12 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

And Kumerow dropped a ball he has to catch earlier in that drive. Add that to the touchdown Sanders dropped in the first half on 4th down and there are an extra 11 points straight away. The Pats didn't stop us all day.  

 

Yes, it pissed me off hearing the analyst imply Josh made it too tough of a catch for Jake.  Complete b.s., the ball was right in his mitts for an easy cradle.

[Freddie's Dead]

[GunnerBill]

34 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

That's the thing when the backups have to step forward.   You never know what you're gonna get. 

McKenzie stepped up. 

Kumerow stepped back.

 

While I agree, they are not nearly the same talent level for me. I think Isaiah is a serviceable depth player. Kumerow is a decent STer who you really don't want to put on the field on offense.

30 minutes ago, dave mcbride said:

Small nit to pick: the Sanders drop led to the Pats starting at the 1 yard line, which led to the Bills getting the ball at the Pats 40 yard line after the punt return. They scored a TD on that drive. It's impossible to say they would have scored on that drive if they had started it at their own 25 yard line. 

 

Fair point.

[Dr.Sack]

Allen is good enough to walk into Foxboro and smash the #1 rated defense in the NFL to pieces with a 5'7 backup WR, a patch work OLine, and a suspect running game. 

 

Give us the Colts OLine personnel and OLine coach, and this team is 14-0, with Singletary, Breida & Moss.