Allen needs to mentally overpower Mahomes

[TheyCallMeAndy]

1 hour ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

Yes, yes - if Allen had better mental power, he would have forced Diggs to catch this touchdown pass like a Jedi.

 

 

Not to mention Dion Dawkins, who had maybe 7 bad snaps all year, gets bull rushed into Allen on a pass that would’ve been a TD. 

[4th&long]

5 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

When compared to Mahomes there’s things Allen needs to do. 

I disagree. The chiefs are champs because of their D this year. Allen will never be mahomes. Mahomes will never be Allen. Mahomes was not perfect this year by any stretch of the imagination!

[Fr. Jerk]

Maybe they should play chess and not football, mayne.

[Jauronimo]

14 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said:

In whatever place these freakozoid athletes get to mentally, Allen has no choice but to get there with them. Jordan has it, Tiger has it, Nicklaus had it, Brady and Montana had it. I’m sure Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio had it. Recently, all three Tennis greats have it. 
 

It’s all upstairs. There are ways we can tell that a great one has the instinct for winning championships. It’s how they talk, what they say, what they believe is happening, and how they lead the situation to reach the top — total belief in yourself to be the reason your team wins championships. 
 

Athletes are insanely confident individuals. Even proven competent pros think they’re the very best at what they do, when they’re clearly not, usually because of physical limitations. 
 

Allen has the physical talent to be in the historical sports best-of-the-best group, so he’ll have to find that mental place that gets him there. His, focus, concentration, and determination needs improvement. 

How many super bowls did Uri Geller win, smart guy?

[ExiledInIllinois]

Regular season ✅️

 

[mjt328]

3 hours ago, msw2112 said:

I agree with this.  I love Allen.  He's the most physically talented QB in the game and he's mentally tough.  He has carried the Bills to a lot of success and willed some victories.  I'm glad he's the Bills' QB and I wouldn't want anyone else.  That said, he still could improve his situational awareness.  On the last drive against KC, the ball should not have been thrown into the end zone when it was.  Even if successful, it would have left too much time on the clock for the Chiefs to come back and score.  The correct play was to get the first down and milk the clock down before throwing it in the end zone.  Diggs was wide open underneath (as we all know) and that's where the ball should have gone.  It's possible that the play call was the problem - I don't know - but the guys going deep (like Shakir) opened up Diggs underneath which would have netted a first down and the opportunity to manage the clock before going to the end zone.

 

At this stage of their careers, I believe that Mahomes is better at this aspect of the game.  A perfect example is the last drive in regulation in the Super Bowl, when the Chiefs drove down the field and kicked the game tying FG with 8 seconds left.  They tried to get a TD to win it, were not able to, but when they kicked the FG, there was no time left on the clock for the 49ers to drive down to win.  They gave themselves the best chance to win in that situation.  The Bills final drive against the Chiefs should have been managed in this manner.

 

So I think that Allen has room to improve in this area, but it has nothing to do with Mahomes.  Allen and Mahomes are not on the field at the same time.  Allen has outplayed Mahomes numerous times when their teams have played each other.  When the game is on the line, however, Mahomes makes the right plays at the right time, and manages the situation perfectly to give his team the best chance to win.  Allen is not quite there yet.  

 

Not sure I agree here.

 

Allen had his WR open in the endzone with a 3 point deficit, and he should have ignored him in favor of milking the clock?  That seems like a really conservative mindset, and in some ways could be considered "playing for the tie."  It's hard to score in the Redzone, so I think you take the shot when it presents itself.  I think he did the correct thing 100%.

 

I can guarantee that if Mahomes had a WR open in the endzone in the Super Bowl, he would have taken the shot too.  The time ran down because the 49ers were keeping everything in front of them, and they were unable to do anything else.  Not because he's superior in situational awareness.  And at the end of the day, he was unable to give his team the lead in regulation.  That also left the 49ers with a chance to win the game.

 

Again... this is why I get frustrated with how the media analyzes the legacy of football players and teams.  There are SO MANY factors that go into every win/loss.  There are SO MANY players who have a role.  It truly is a game of inches, and unlike other sports where you have a best of 7 game series, the NFL is one and done.  The difference between hoisting the Lombardi trophy and going home a loser... can literally come down to the ball bouncing off the foot of a special teams player that nobody has ever heard of.

 

People feel the need to prop up Mahomes over every other QB because of his Super Bowl rings.  So they come up with all these "reasons" that he's vastly superior to Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, etc., etc.  They used to do the same thing when comparing Tom Brady to Peyton Manning.  Or Joe Montana to Dan Marino.  In truth, there are lots of reasons why the Chiefs have 3 recent titles and the Bills have none... and virtually none of them have to do with Allen being an inferior QB to Mahomes.

 

 

 

[4th&long]

26 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

Not sure I agree here.

 

Allen had his WR open in the endzone with a 3 point deficit, and he should have ignored him in favor of milking the clock?  That seems like a really conservative mindset, and in some ways could be considered "playing for the tie."  It's hard to score in the Redzone, so I think you take the shot when it presents itself.  I think he did the correct thing 100%.

 

I can guarantee that if Mahomes had a WR open in the endzone in the Super Bowl, he would have taken the shot too.  The time ran down because the 49ers were keeping everything in front of them, and they were unable to do anything else.  Not because he's superior in situational awareness.  And at the end of the day, he was unable to give his team the lead in regulation.  That also left the 49ers with a chance to win the game.

 

Again... this is why I get frustrated with how the media analyzes the legacy of football players and teams.  There are SO MANY factors that go into every win/loss.  There are SO MANY players who have a role.  It truly is a game of inches, and unlike other sports where you have a best of 7 game series, the NFL is one and done.  The difference between hoisting the Lombardi trophy and going home a loser... can literally come down to the ball bouncing off the foot of a special teams player that nobody has ever heard of.

 

People feel the need to prop up Mahomes over every other QB because of his Super Bowl rings.  So they come up with all these "reasons" that he's vastly superior to Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, etc., etc.  They used to do the same thing when comparing Tom Brady to Peyton Manning.  Or Joe Montana to Dan Marino.  In truth, there are lots of reasons why the Chiefs have 3 recent titles and the Bills have none... and virtually none of them have to do with Allen being an inferior QB to Mahomes.

 

 

 

Totally agree. A guy it’s wide open in the end zone you take your shot. Against that secondary that might have been the last time that game someone was open in the end zone. The name of the game is score td. If the game was tied I would bleed the clock and kick the field goal for the W.

[Gregg]

2 hours ago, 4th&long said:

I disagree. The chiefs are champs because of their D this year. Allen will never be mahomes. Mahomes will never be Allen. Mahomes was not perfect this year by any stretch of the imagination!

 

Yup. If the Niners could have taken advantage of that INT, he threw at the start of the 2nd half then the conversations we are having about him are probably different.

[Billsfanatic8989]

Allen needs to do nothing differently against KC. He is the reason we beat them during the year. And have a chance in the postseason. 

 

It's every other player and coach that needs to step up. Especially coaches. 

 

I feel like McDermott won't be coach when/IF we beat KC in January. It'll be someone like Belichick or Ben Johnson. And I don’t think McDermott will be the HC when/if we win the SB. 

 

 

Edited February 13 by Billsfanatic8989

[billsfan_34]

Like Aquaman?

[Warriorspikes51]

Allen was a Diggs drop, Sherfield drop or Dawkins bump from having 4 TDs in the game. 
 

maybe if the stupid narrative, Dawkins running his mouth “good luck” playing here and Bruce Smith screaming pregame how we’ve wanted the Chiefs here in our house for 3 years….maybe if that nonsense didn’t happen their offense wouldn’t have played angry and elite 

[SaulGoodman]

35 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

Not sure I agree here.

 

Allen had his WR open in the endzone with a 3 point deficit, and he should have ignored him in favor of milking the clock?  That seems like a really conservative mindset, and in some ways could be considered "playing for the tie."  It's hard to score in the Redzone, so I think you take the shot when it presents itself.  I think he did the correct thing 100%.

 

I can guarantee that if Mahomes had a WR open in the endzone in the Super Bowl, he would have taken the shot too.  The time ran down because the 49ers were keeping everything in front of them, and they were unable to do anything else.  Not because he's superior in situational awareness.  And at the end of the day, he was unable to give his team the lead in regulation.  That also left the 49ers with a chance to win the game.

 

Again... this is why I get frustrated with how the media analyzes the legacy of football players and teams.  There are SO MANY factors that go into every win/loss.  There are SO MANY players who have a role.  It truly is a game of inches, and unlike other sports where you have a best of 7 game series, the NFL is one and done.  The difference between hoisting the Lombardi trophy and going home a loser... can literally come down to the ball bouncing off the foot of a special teams player that nobody has ever heard of.

 

People feel the need to prop up Mahomes over every other QB because of his Super Bowl rings.  So they come up with all these "reasons" that he's vastly superior to Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, etc., etc.  They used to do the same thing when comparing Tom Brady to Peyton Manning.  Or Joe Montana to Dan Marino.  In truth, there are lots of reasons why the Chiefs have 3 recent titles and the Bills have none... and virtually none of them have to do with Allen being an inferior QB to Mahomes.

 

 

 

 

Mahomes has had the most successful start to a career of any QB in history, both in terms of wins and stats. With a ton of highlights and iconic moments along the way. I'm not sure why Bills fans feel slighted when the media praises him. Imagine if everything were reversed, and Mahomes had Allen's skillset and accomplishments and vice versa. Do you think there's a Bills fan in the world who would concede that Mahomes were as good or better? 

 

And yet, plenty of pundits HAVE compared Allen favorably to Mahomes. An ESPN graphic gave the Bills the edge at QB before the last matchup. And it's not the first time I've seen that. I'd say that's plenty of respect. I see talking heads slobbering over Allen virtually every time he's mentioned. 

 

IMO, Allen and Mahomes are in a league of their own. I don't think any other QB is all that close. But I do think Mahomes has a little separation at the top. When one QB has 3 SBs, 3 SB MVPs and two league MVPs, while the other has none of those, there would have to be an obvious gap in ability and stats to rank him higher. I think the biggest thing that's separated the two so far is Mahomes' ability to avoid mistakes. Allen has a much higher INT% and far more fumbles. 

 

 

[Thrivefourfive]

I just hope Allen can do ONE TIME what Mahomes has done practically every single time he’s in a playoff game, especially a Super Bowl - Win. Have the Bills ever won a playoff game in Allen’s era being a dog, home or away? Serious question.

 

There was a serious moment there in KC in 2022 that Allen did all he could. Played like a true winner. But…. Haven’t had that opportunity again, has he. That could realistically be his only shot to get one against that guy. The uber great, like Mahomes, are great because they don’t give up too many opportunities to get beat. 
 

So in Allen’s achieving moment (a loss) Mahomes gets a FG with 13 secs left, and throws the game winning TD in OT. Mahomes didn’t exactly ***** the bed huh. He kind of ripped the hearts out of the entire city of Buffalo.

 

Not sure how many examples are needed to finally admit Mahomes is special special, and Allen is just special? I really don’t know. And unless one argues that Mahomes is just more physically gifted that Allen… well then, the mental disparity is even greater, which is where I stand. It’s Mahomes, then it’s Allen, then it’s everyone else. All the other factors like coaching, Kelce, players who drop (which really is hilarious considering the Chiefs lead the league in dropped passes).. fire away. But Allen is the guy that has to beat Mahomes, probably with another head coach (different conversation) and right now the gap between winning and losing against him is widening. 
 

ONLY BRADY (2x) and BURROW HAVE BEATEN MAHOMES IN THE PLAYOFFS. He’s 15-3! And we think Josh has it in him despite never doing it. Nice argument. 
 

Anyone think Mahomes has it easy with where he is and what he’s doing? I don’t. KC is a circus. 
 

Mahomes is other worldly mentally, and Josh isn’t.

[msw2112]

3 hours ago, mjt328 said:

 

Not sure I agree here.

 

Allen had his WR open in the endzone with a 3 point deficit, and he should have ignored him in favor of milking the clock?  That seems like a really conservative mindset, and in some ways could be considered "playing for the tie."  It's hard to score in the Redzone, so I think you take the shot when it presents itself.  I think he did the correct thing 100%.

 

I can guarantee that if Mahomes had a WR open in the endzone in the Super Bowl, he would have taken the shot too.  The time ran down because the 49ers were keeping everything in front of them, and they were unable to do anything else.  Not because he's superior in situational awareness.  And at the end of the day, he was unable to give his team the lead in regulation.  That also left the 49ers with a chance to win the game.

 

Again... this is why I get frustrated with how the media analyzes the legacy of football players and teams.  There are SO MANY factors that go into every win/loss.  There are SO MANY players who have a role.  It truly is a game of inches, and unlike other sports where you have a best of 7 game series, the NFL is one and done.  The difference between hoisting the Lombardi trophy and going home a loser... can literally come down to the ball bouncing off the foot of a special teams player that nobody has ever heard of.

 

People feel the need to prop up Mahomes over every other QB because of his Super Bowl rings.  So they come up with all these "reasons" that he's vastly superior to Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, etc., etc.  They used to do the same thing when comparing Tom Brady to Peyton Manning.  Or Joe Montana to Dan Marino.  In truth, there are lots of reasons why the Chiefs have 3 recent titles and the Bills have none... and virtually none of them have to do with Allen being an inferior QB to Mahomes.

 

 

 

 

I don't think Mahomes is vastly superior to Allen.  To the contrary, Allen is better in many areas.  But you can't ignore the reality that Mahomes has 3 Super Bowl titles and Allen has none.  Mahomes has found a way to get the job done in the playoffs and Allen has not.  Mahomes has accomplished more than any QB in the first 5-6 years of his career than any other QB in NFL history.  I'm not a Mahomes ball-washer.  I prefer Allen for the Bills and wouldn't make the trade.  That said, I can't ignore the facts and reality of the situation.

 

I also stand by my belief on how the Bills should have handled the final 2 minutes against the Chiefs.  It was critical that they used up the clock as well as scored (and unfortunately, they did neither).  That's just smart football and the correct management of the situation.  It's similar to when a player gives himself up before the goal line and slides at the 1 yard line.  You don't want to leave enough time on the clock for the other team to beat you, especially when you have a Hall of Fame QB on the other sideline who has done it time and again.  Furthermore, the Bills were trotting out a shell of their staring defense.  Do you really think that unit was going to get a stop against Mahomes and the Chiefs in that situation?  Perhaps Allen is not at fault - maybe it was Brady and/or McDermott not communicating the strategy or not calling the correct play.  I would rather have had the Bills take a FG with no time on the clock than scoring a TD with almost 2 minutes on the clock and Mahomes on the other sideline.  That's exactly what the Chiefs did in the Super Bowl and it worked out pretty well for them.  They used up the clock, preventing the 49ers from having the last possession, tried to get the winning TD, couldn't get it, and wisely took the FG to live another day in OT.

Edited February 14 by msw2112

[90sBills]

36 minutes ago, Thrivefourfive said:

I just hope Allen can do ONE TIME what Mahomes has done practically every single time he’s in a playoff game, especially a Super Bowl - Win. Have the Bills ever won a playoff game in Allen’s era being a dog, home or away? Serious question.

 

There was a serious moment there in KC in 2022 that Allen did all he could. Played like a true winner. But…. Haven’t had that opportunity again, has he. That could realistically be his only shot to get one against that guy. The uber great, like Mahomes, are great because they don’t give up too many opportunities to get beat. 
 

So in Allen’s achieving moment (a loss) Mahomes gets a FG with 13 secs left, and throws the game winning TD in OT. Mahomes didn’t exactly ***** the bed huh. He kind of ripped the hearts out of the entire city of Buffalo.

 

Not sure how many examples are needed to finally admit Mahomes is special special, and Allen is just special? I really don’t know. And unless one argues that Mahomes is just more physically gifted that Allen… well then, the mental disparity is even greater, which is where I stand. It’s Mahomes, then it’s Allen, then it’s everyone else. All the other factors like coaching, Kelce, players who drop (which really is hilarious considering the Chiefs lead the league in dropped passes).. fire away. But Allen is the guy that has to beat Mahomes, probably with another head coach (different conversation) and right now the gap between winning and losing against him is widening. 
 

ONLY BRADY (2x) and BURROW HAVE BEATEN MAHOMES IN THE PLAYOFFS. He’s 15-3! And we think Josh has it in him despite never doing it. Nice argument. 
 

Anyone think Mahomes has it easy with where he is and what he’s doing? I don’t. KC is a circus. 
 

Mahomes is other worldly mentally, and Josh isn’t.

I agree with most of what you said here. Mahomes is clearly the better QB once you move past the physical aspects of both players. Mahomes’ game awareness and poise is what separates him from everyone else including Allen. However, I do think Allen will grow and learn from these losses. He and the Bills will beat Mahomes and KC when it counts one year. 

[90sBills]

34 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

 

I don't think Mahomes is vastly superior to Allen.  To the contrary, Allen is better in many areas.  But you can't ignore the reality that Mahomes has 3 Super Bowl titles and Allen has none.  Mahomes has found a way to get the job done in the playoffs and Allen has not.  Mahomes has accomplished more than any QB in the first 5-6 years of his career than any other QB in NFL history.  I'm not a Mahomes ball-washer.  I prefer Allen for the Bills and wouldn't make the trade.  That said, I can't ignore the facts and reality of the situation.

 

I also stand by my belief on how the Bills should have handled the final 2 minutes against the Chiefs.  It was critical that they used up the clock as well as scored (and unfortunately, they did neither).  That's just smart football and the correct management of the situation.  It's similar to when a player gives himself up before the goal line and slides at the 1 yard line.  You don't want to leave enough time on the clock for the other team to beat you, especially when you have a Hall of Fame QB on the other sideline who has done it time and again.  Furthermore, the Bills were trotting out a shell of their staring defense.  Do you really think that unit was going to get a stop against Mahomes and the Chiefs in that situation?  Perhaps Allen is not at fault - maybe it was Brady and/or McDermott not communicating the strategy or not calling the correct play.  I would rather have had the Bills take a FG with no time on the clock than scoring a TD with almost 2 minutes on the clock and Mahomes on the other sideline.  That's exactly what the Chiefs did in the Super Bowl and it worked out pretty well for them.  They used up the clock, preventing the 49ers from having the last possession, tried to get the winning TD, couldn't get it, and wisely took the FG to live another day in OT.

The bolded part cannot be stressed enough. The game was right there for them. This game awareness is what Allen needs to improve on. Look at KC’s final regulation drive in the Superbowl. With seconds left Mahomes passed up an open rookie receiver in the middle of the field and opted for Kelce in the corner in single coverage. He didn’t want to risk a fumble from the receiver who would undoubtedly fight the last few yards trying to score. By going to Kelce it’s guaranteed either win or OT. Those are the little things that people don’t see in Mahomes’ game. I wish Allen would be more like that. 

[JerseyBills]

20 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

Statistically, Josh Allen outplayed Mahomes on that day but we still lost

 

Why?

 

Because the bills will be ready to win a Super Bowl whenever the players around Josh Allen make plays when it matters

 

It really is a simple as that

It's not like the SB champs had some amazing offense. Also missing an all pro G

[PauleeeWalnuts]

No, they need to stop Mahomes from scoring for once. 

[BananaB]

1 hour ago, Thrivefourfive said:

I just hope Allen can do ONE TIME what Mahomes has done practically every single time he’s in a playoff game, especially a Super Bowl - Win. Have the Bills ever won a playoff game in Allen’s era being a dog, home or away? Serious question.

 

There was a serious moment there in KC in 2022 that Allen did all he could. Played like a true winner. But…. Haven’t had that opportunity again, has he. That could realistically be his only shot to get one against that guy. The uber great, like Mahomes, are great because they don’t give up too many opportunities to get beat. 
 

So in Allen’s achieving moment (a loss) Mahomes gets a FG with 13 secs left, and throws the game winning TD in OT. Mahomes didn’t exactly ***** the bed huh. He kind of ripped the hearts out of the entire city of Buffalo.

 

Not sure how many examples are needed to finally admit Mahomes is special special, and Allen is just special? I really don’t know. And unless one argues that Mahomes is just more physically gifted that Allen… well then, the mental disparity is even greater, which is where I stand. It’s Mahomes, then it’s Allen, then it’s everyone else. All the other factors like coaching, Kelce, players who drop (which really is hilarious considering the Chiefs lead the league in dropped passes).. fire away. But Allen is the guy that has to beat Mahomes, probably with another head coach (different conversation) and right now the gap between winning and losing against him is widening. 
 

ONLY BRADY (2x) and BURROW HAVE BEATEN MAHOMES IN THE PLAYOFFS. He’s 15-3! And we think Josh has it in him despite never doing it. Nice argument. 
 

Anyone think Mahomes has it easy with where he is and what he’s doing? I don’t. KC is a circus. 
 

Mahomes is other worldly mentally, and Josh isn’t.

The thing about football is situations matter and different situations can make a players career a lot easier or harder . I don’t think anyone in their right mind would say Troy Aikman was better than Dan Marino but he has the hardware that says he accomplished more. Mahommes is around way better coaching and was drafted to a way better team that helped him get where he is today. Josh Allen was drafted to the complete opposite situation and the coaching is killing him in big games. 
 

Brady and Manning is the same situation. Brady drafted to a more accomplished team with way better coaching. Though Manning could put up great numbers all season when they hit the Pats in the playoffs they could shut him down. The Chiefs haven’t really shut Allen down though,   D is the root of the problem.

 

Mahommes is a great player in a great situation, Allen is a great player solid situation who’s coaches/gm are still making a lot of mistakes. 

 

Edited February 14 by BananaB

[SaulGoodman]

1 hour ago, msw2112 said:

 

I don't think Mahomes is vastly superior to Allen.  To the contrary, Allen is better in many areas.  But you can't ignore the reality that Mahomes has 3 Super Bowl titles and Allen has none.  Mahomes has found a way to get the job done in the playoffs and Allen has not.  Mahomes has accomplished more than any QB in the first 5-6 years of his career than any other QB in NFL history.  I'm not a Mahomes ball-washer.  I prefer Allen for the Bills and wouldn't make the trade.  That said, I can't ignore the facts and reality of the situation.

 

I also stand by my belief on how the Bills should have handled the final 2 minutes against the Chiefs.  It was critical that they used up the clock as well as scored (and unfortunately, they did neither).  That's just smart football and the correct management of the situation.  It's similar to when a player gives himself up before the goal line and slides at the 1 yard line.  You don't want to leave enough time on the clock for the other team to beat you, especially when you have a Hall of Fame QB on the other sideline who has done it time and again.  Furthermore, the Bills were trotting out a shell of their staring defense.  Do you really think that unit was going to get a stop against Mahomes and the Chiefs in that situation?  Perhaps Allen is not at fault - maybe it was Brady and/or McDermott not communicating the strategy or not calling the correct play.  I would rather have had the Bills take a FG with no time on the clock than scoring a TD with almost 2 minutes on the clock and Mahomes on the other sideline.  That's exactly what the Chiefs did in the Super Bowl and it worked out pretty well for them.  They used up the clock, preventing the 49ers from having the last possession, tried to get the winning TD, couldn't get it, and wisely took the FG to live another day in OT.

I’d say Allen has two advantages over Mahomes. He’s bigger, and therefore will occasionally run somebody over, and he has a slightly stronger arm. But I think Mahomes checks more boxes, especially mentally.