Josh Allen's MVP Performance Lost By Coaching, Officiating, Kicking in Buffalo Bills' Week 12 Loss
The Buffalo Bills’ Week 12 loss had a similar plot to their other heartbreaking losses, with a twist. The offense wasn’t the issue, and quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t the villain, but a tragic hero.
Buffalo visited the Philadelphia Eagles and lost, 37-34. The irony of losing in overtime despite getting the ball first was poignant, but failing to score a touchdown on the Bills’ final offensive possession shouldn’t be the story from Sunday.
There are few ways to describe Allen’s performance without inciting an expletive. Buffalo had 505 total yards of offense on a day where none of its backs ran for more than 3.3 yards per attempt and the rain turned the field into a sloppy, if not hazardous, environment.
Allen completed 29 of 51 attempts for 339 yards and two scores. He also ran nine times for 81 yards and two crucial touchdowns. He threw an interception but bailed the Bills out on many more occasions.
Allen celebrating after scoring a huge touchdown on the run.
© Eric Hartline, USA TODAY
He practically broke the sound barrier on a 13-yard score to receiver Stefon Diggs. Elsewhere he created chunk gains on the ground, evading and breaking tackles when things broke down or the situation called for a design run.
“I think the opportunities just kind of presented themselves today,” Allen said of his timely runs. “I don’t think it was coming into this game thinking I was going to be running more or less. They presented themselves and we took advantage of it”
Allen was Buffalo’s best passer and rusher, and on Sunday he was almost certainly the best player on the field. His 21.7 expected points added was a 96th-percentile performance and he outdueled Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts in virtually every way imaginable. Even so, it wasn’t enough.
“Thought our guys had a lot of great effort, just had to make one more play,” Allen said.
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. Head coach Sean McDermott’s questionable timeouts resembled a coaching staff without premier talent at the quarterback position. A late miscommunication from receiver Gabe Davis spoiled a would-be game-winning score. Buffalo would settle for a field goal and give up the clinching touchdown on the ensuing drive.
Leaving points on the board will rattle around in the heads of Bills fans for weeks to come. Kicker Tyler Bass missed two field goals – one of which was blocked – that undoubtedly could have changed Buffalo’s fate. The weather was unequivocally a factor, but when Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott hits a 59-yard field goal to tie the game in the same conditions, that pill becomes harder to swallow. It isn’t the first time Bass has had a rough outing this season.
What may be easiest to blame, however, was the officiating. Allen was called for intentional grounding in the second quarter in what, to everyone but the officials, looked like a clear penalty. Allen’s facemask was hit as he was dragged to the ground by a horse collar tackle. Instead, only Allen was penalized.
Heading into overtime, the Bills were penalized 11 times for 80 yards. The Eagles were flagged three times for 15 yards. Social media reacted accordingly.
The loss puts Allen and Buffalo, despite his herculean performance, at 6-6 with five games to play. His team is at legitimate risk of missing the playoffs despite a +101 point differential and a superhero under center.
After the game, Allen mustered the only thing he could as the face of the franchise.
“I’m extremely confident in our guys, the men we have in this locker room,” he said. “We understand where we’re at, so we gotta get things going.”
