• Josh Allen is on an elite run of play: Allen earned his second consecutive 90.0-plus PFF overall grade in Week 15 — and his third in the past four games.
• The Bills were prepared for Detroit's man coverage: They used that knowledge to create favorable matchups, several of which were on running back wheel routes.
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Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills put on another offensive masterclass in Week 15, this time in a win against the Detroit Lions. Allen has firmly cemented himself as the current MVP favorite as the Bills continue their chase for the AFC's No. 1 overall seed.
Highest-Graded Quarterbacks in Week 15
Allen finished the game with a 92.5 PFF overall grade, the highest of Week 15 and his best mark of the season. This is Allen’s second consecutive 90.0-plus PFF overall grade and his third in the past four games. He’s on a tear right now, and with him leading the charge, the Bills‘ offense has looked almost unstoppable.
One of the biggest adjustments to Allen’s game over the past two years has been limiting turnover-worthy plays. He has always chaotically played the quarterback position, which led to a lot of bad turnovers. This year, his 2.5% turnover-worthy play percentage would be the best of his career after he notched a 3.0% clip last season. He’s taking care of the ball while not sacrificing his playmaking ability.
Other Required Reading:
- Josh Allen's MVP Pursuit: Where the Bills star separates himself from the pack
- 2024 NFL quarterback rankings ahead of Week 16
Coming into Week 15, the Bills‘ offense had the highest percentage of drives resulting in a touchdown (37.1%). And they came out swinging against the Lions.
HB wheel through the A-gap is a sick play and of course Josh Allen drops a dime on his first pass of the game. pic.twitter.com/zPI5f8AbV0
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 16, 2024
On the Bills' second play of the game, and their first pass attempt, they connected on a 33-yard pass stemming from a great play design. They sent their halfback through the A-gap on a wheel route, and, typically, when you see wheel routes from halfbacks, they go around the line of scrimmage and upfield. The way the Bills do it allows the halfback to get on the linebacker right away and put him in conflict. With the Lions playing man coverage, the linebacker now has to go from a flat-footed position to an all-out sprint against a halfback with a running start. The Lions‘ linebacker here does a decent job, but Allen throws a perfect ball on his first attempt of the game for a large gain.
Josh Allen’s superpower is extending plays until the very last second and creating magic out of nothing. He has the highest number of attempts, most big-time throws, and fourth highest grade of 91.1 when targeting receivers running a scramble adjustment route.
127 seconds of Josh Allen making the NFL his playground pic.twitter.com/iJ6ytUGbUm
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 16, 2024
This is where Allen is at his absolute best. He had multiple plays like this against the Lions, where the original play wasn’t open and he needs to make something happen. Time and time again, he does just that, leaving the Lions‘ defense exhausted trying to cover downfield for 5-plus seconds. It’s nearly impossible to cover for that long and, eventually, Allen is bound to make them pay.
The Bills knew the Lions would play a ton of man coverage, and they used that knowledge to create favorable matchups and route combinations.
Another wheel route from the HB, this time from the slot. Another Josh Allen dime pic.twitter.com/PSwdz5hMjT
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 16, 2024
In the above clip, the Bills get another wheel route from their halfback, this time coming from the slot after creating a natural pick route with the outside receivers. It’s an impossible task for a defender to work through the pick and get to the wheel without help, and Allen knew that right away. There’s no need to even try to hold the safety with his eyes; he knows the safety can’t get there in time and lofts a perfect ball over the top for another huge gain.
The Lions did not stop playing man coverage, and the Bills continued to make them pay.
Why not another dime from Allen? pic.twitter.com/UYFwOQXsbG
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) December 16, 2024
Pre-snap, the Bills identify man coverage and that the cornerbacks to the close side of the field won’t be switching their assignments based on the pre-snap motion. Because of that, Allen knows he’ll have Dalton Kincaid on a corner route against a much smaller defensive back, Terrion Arnold. Kincaid wins and stacks him, making the decision easy for Allen. He then drops a perfect dime to beat the safety for another large gain.
Allen's current run of form may be the best we’ve ever seen from him, and that’s saying a lot, considering he’s posted a 90.0-plus PFF overall grade the past five seasons. He’s established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over those past five seasons. However, this season he’s, so far, made the most convincing case for MVP of the league and will look to take home that award for the first time in his career.
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