The meeting between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins on Sunday was touted as a clash of two of the NFL’s top offences in an early game of the year candidate. What we got instead was a fairly one-sided statement game, a 48-20 Buffalo Bills triumph that cemented their place atop the NFL.
It was a team triumph, but the stars were on offence, beginning with Bills quarterback Josh Allen. On Sunday, Allen was magnificent, not only taking the singles and doubles that a Vic Fangio defence expects, but also hitting the home runs that we’ve come to expect from the Buffalo Bills. When Allen and the Bills offence play like this, they are unstoppable, so let’s take a look at the tape to see what made Allen and the Bills offence so effective on Sunday.
Allen and the Bills failed to connect short throws and play a fast game consistently last year, but it’s becoming more productive this year. This is partly due to offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey being more creative with formations and personnel, and the Bills becoming more productive with larger personnel, forcing opposition to choose between playing bigger and risking skill position guys shredding you, or playing smaller and getting ran over.
The Bills are in 22 personnel (2 backs, 2 TE) on this play, but they’re in an empty formation with just Josh Allen in the backfield and RB Latavius Murray lined up out wide. The Dolphins counter with a basic defence and four linebackers on the field, one of whom stepped out over TE Dawson Knox. This provides a mismatch for TE Dalton Kincaid from the slot against a linebacker, which results in a gain. Easy offence for a team that can suddenly take layups.
Furthermore, the Bills stretched the Dolphins defence horizontally, forcing linebackers and second-level defenders to cover flat spaces before hitting them over their heads. That’s precisely what occurred on the first touchdown of the day, when Gabe Davis found the end zone after a Deonte Harty screen. It’s a nice utilisation of orbit motion to grab the defense’s attention, and outstanding QB play by Josh Allen to sell the screen and then score without wasting any time. Zero fat on the footwork.
Speaking of Allen, who was in supernova mode the entire game on Sunday, creating with his arm and gaining additional time with his legs to hit throws that only a few of NFL players can make. The Dolphins bring a blitz on the opening drive of the game, which barely goes through. Allen is slipping away from the pocket on the right side of the field, while Stefon Diggs is running a long comeback route on the left side of the field.
Allen calmly flicks this ball to the left side of the field as he fades away, and Diggs makes the reception for a first down. It’s hardly a typical throw, but Allen makes it appear such. The Bills are a juggernaut when he performs like this.
What are you going to do about it? Josh Allen is in Minecraft creative mode, crafting a diamond sword. This is something Josh Allen has shown he can accomplish at a high level, but getting the offence to make layups is just as vital.
Allen has been outstanding since the Jets’ Week 1 setback. According to Pro Football Focus, he leads the league in total touchdowns and passer rating, and the Bills have scored more than 30 points in every game. Getting Allen to take layups while not abandoning his usual Josh Allen antics has transformed the Bills offence into a waggon, and we all know that nobody circles the waggons like the Buffalo Bills.
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