Skip to main content

Bills QB Barkley Praises Allen: ‘Super Bowl Is The Goal’

During the Buffalo Bills’ offseason workouts, reserve quarterback Matt Barkley has noticed a more mature, fundamentally-sound starter in Josh Allen.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has seen his share of growth during his time in the NFL.

Since being selected seventh overall by the Bills in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Wyoming product has gone from being a ‘high-risk draft choice with potential,’ to being one of the most complete signal-callers in the league.

Much to the delight of Bills fans, Allen has the current iteration of Buffalo’s hometown team in contention for a championship in the upcoming 2022 NFL season. Though he has drawn a great deal of praise from his coaches, teammates and fans, one player in particular has seen Allen exponentially improve both in attitude and aptitude.

Bills reserve quarterback Matt Barkley first joined the Bills during Allen’s rookie season in 2018, and For the next two-plus years, Barkley served as Allen’s backup. After a brief exit, the 31-year-old is back in Buffalo and is expected to compete with fellow reserve Case Keenum for the team’s second quarterback slot.

During the team’s offseason workouts, Barkley has noticed a more mature, fundamentally-sound Josh Allen.

“I’ve seen Josh since his rookie year now, and he’s grown in a lot of ways,” Barkley recently told the Buffalo News. “I think most people notice his leadership and his poise in those big-game situations. But I think he’s grown a lot in terms of being smart with the ball, and in the passing game, protecting it. He’s gotten a lot more accurate, in my opinion, from when he first got into the league. He’s started to become more vocal, which is good to see, because guys look up to him, and he’s a leader. So he’s using that platform to steer guys in the right direction.”

Despite some inconsistencies early in his career, Allen played some of the best football of his career in 2021. Throughout the regular season, the 25-year old threw for 4,407 yards with 36 touchdowns, against 15 interceptions. His dual threat capabilities in both the passing game and the run game make him a metaphorical nightmare for opposing defenses.

In the postseason, Allen was equally as masterful. Against their dreaded-rivals, the New England Patriots, Buffalo became the first team in NFL history to score a touchdown on all seven of its offensive drives, Allen had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (four) while throwing for 308 total yards, adding 66 more on six rushing attempts.

Albeit in a losing effort, Allen’s quarterback play was more-than deserving of a win in the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs. During the final two minutes of the tightly contested game, Allen threw two go-ahead touchdowns to wide receiver Gabriel Davis as the Bills and Chiefs exchanged leads three times before ending regulation tied at 36. The Chiefs won 42–36 in overtime after winning the coin toss and scoring on the opening drive. Allen and the Bills offense never touched the ball.

Undoubtedly eager to clear the bad taste of the 2021 postseason from their palate, Allen and the Bills will be hard at work, planting the seeds for success during training camp. While Buffalo may be unlikely to carry three quarterbacks in 2022, both Barkley and Keenum realize that whoever is chosen as Allen’s understudy will be a member of a team with high hopes and championship-caliber potential.

“We have high goals,” Barkley said. “I think we’ve come close almost every year now, and even last year when I wasn’t with them. But the Super Bowl is the goal. And I think we’ve got the pieces in place, but every week is a new week, and you have to stay focused and persevere through those challenges of some injuries during the year, and the ups and downs of the schedule. So I think having older guys in the room, at least with Josh, and then kind of bringing back that leadership will hopefully help us go far into February next year.”

Buffalo is set to open training camp on July 23, at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.