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Fans Tout Bills' Josh Allen as MVP After 'Masterclass' to Clinch NFL Playoff Berth
Dec 18, 2022
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 11: Josh Allen #17 and Spencer Brown #79 of the Buffalo Bills react in the second half of a game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on December 11, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images)
For the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years, the Buffalo Bills are headed to the postseason.
Buffalo clinched its AFC playoff berth on Saturday with a 32-29 victory over the Miami Dolphins at a snowy Highmark Stadium.
Quarterback Josh Allen put on a show to help the Bills edge the Dolphins, completing 25-of-40 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 77 yards on 10 carries.
Allen's MVP-worthy performance was praised by NFL Twitter as he was the best player on the field Saturday:
Josh Allen masterclass tonight. He had a few goofy plays but it’s so obvious he carries the entire burden of the offense right now. Throws to every level, beating pressure, some heroic efforts, was the whole run game for three+ quarters. Insane game.
You know what is the scariest thing about the Bills now? They can win in any way you can think of. Once again, Josh Allen is clutch in the two minute drill. #MIAvsBUF
What an excellent game. Snow was a cool element but didn’t seem to limit Miami at all. Tua played very well. Josh Allen and his fearless mentality just was a hair better.
Would love to see Dolphins-Bills Part 3 in the playoffs.
For the Bills, the only major question left in the regular season is whether they can top the Kansas City Chiefs for the top overall seed in the AFC. The Bills hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, so they'll only need to finish with the same record as Kansas City to secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Much of Buffalo's success, yet again, can be tied to the play of Allen, who at one point looked like the front-runner to win the MVP award but may still be lagging behind Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts and 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes despite Saturday's performance.
Still, the 26-year-old has been excellent, entering Saturday's game having thrown for 3,553 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes. He also had rushed for 628 yards and seven scores.
His top receiver, Stefon Diggs, has also put on a show with 94 catches for 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns entering Saturday's game.
The Bills will head into the playoffs plenty battle-tested, with wins over the Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Their three losses, meanwhile, have come by a combined eight points against the Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings (overtime) and Jets.
The AFC East has been stronger than expected this season, with all four teams in legitimate striking distance of a playoff berth. One of them, at least, has already clinched. The Bills now await to see which of their rivals will join them.
There are currently five players who still have reasonable
odds of taking home the NFL MVP award going into the final four games of the
2022 season. Josh...
Bills Still Have Plenty to Prove to Establish Themselves as Super Bowl Favorites
Dec 13, 2022
Josh Allen
Heading into the 2022 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills were the clear AFC East favorite and the front-runner to win the Super Bowl. Nothing has changed three months later.
Heading into Week 15, the Bills have a two-game advantage in the division and are the top seed in the AFC thanks to a head-to-head victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6. They're still the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl, too.
There are a ton of positives about this roster. They're the best of a reasonably flawed AFC, and only a nightmarish collapse would keep the Bills out of the playoffs.
They're only a Week 15 victory over the Miami Dolphins away from needing one more win to clinch a third straight division crown. Recent wins over the New England Patriots and New York Jets have proved critical in this midseason ascent, too.
However, the Bills haven't been overwhelming teams near the extent they are capable. They are judged not merely on making the postseason; rather, it's about how they look compared to other Super Bowl hopefuls like the Chiefs or Philadelphia Eagles.
The intent here isn't to lambast a strong Buffalo team. The Bills' current position is enviable.
Although the Bills seemed destined for a positive year, they deserve a hat-tip for actually doing it. Fellow preseason front-runners such as the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all currently have losing records this season.
Statistically, the Bills are once again thriving on both sides of the ball. After ranking third and first, respectively, in scoring offense and defense last season, they're fourth and second in those categories this year.
The challenge is weighing Buffalo's overall success with an uninspiring month offensively. Want to make that balance tougher? The Bills are on a four-game winning streak anyway.
Exhausting concept, this nuance.
Stefon Diggs
Most notably, star quarterback Josh Allen—the MVP front-runner in early November—has faded from a torrid start to the 2022 campaign.
Through the Bills' opening seven games, Allen averaged 357.8 combined yards per outing with 21 total touchdowns, eight turnovers and 11 sacks. But in the last six contests, Allen's production has dipped to 279.5 yards with 11 scores, seven giveaways and 17 sacks.
The best version of this Buffalo offense, which we saw throughout September and October, is nearly unstoppable. The last month-plus has showed a concerning form.
Now, the reason those struggles haven't dragged down the Bills is that their defense has excelled lately.
Since a mediocre three-game stretch that ended Nov. 13, Buffalo has allowed only 6.4 yards per pass attempt and 3.5 yards per carry. The last four opponents have averaged a meager 17.5 points per game, and no less than 16 points can be classified as garbage-time scores.
Additionally, the unit surrendered only 21 and 20 points in two of the Bills' three losses earlier this season. This defense, in short, has given Buffalo a tremendous chance to win every single week in 2022.
But for the Bills to accomplish their ultimate goal of winning the Super Bowl, the offense needs to rebound.
Allen did suffer an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament in November against the Jets, although he has yet to miss a game because of it. He said on the Pat McAfee Show that the injury is a factor in his preparation but doesn't bother him on game day.
It's thus simultaneously reasonable to both limit and not erase the criticism of his performance in the last month. Adverse weather hasn't helped in the last two games, but we've seen Allen's missile of a throwing arm cut through gusty wind plenty of times, too.
Beyond him, a major concern is the absence of a reliable pass-catcher beyond Stefon Diggs.
No. 2 wideout Gabe Davis has eclipsed 40 yards only twice since the Bills' Week 7 bye. He and tight end Dawson Knox are Buffalo's next-best options, but they've combined for just 15 catches in the last three games. Isaiah McKenzie has been inconsistent in his supporting role all year, and nobody else has claimed a regular, substantive snap share.
Sacks are not a perfect standalone measure by which to judge an offensive line. Still, this downward trend would be foolish to ignore. Buffalo allowed two-plus sacks in only two of its first six games, but opponents have notched at least two in seven straight outings since the October bye.
That can be—and is—something an elite defensive team may overcome. That doesn't sound like a convincing Super Bowl favorite, though Allen is entirely unbothered by that sentiment.
Asked about the #Bills offense struggling at times and “not looking like an offense that can win the Super Bowl,” Josh Allen had a simple response:
Fortunately for the Bills, there's still a month left in the regular season. Alarm bells aren't blaring yet, though they're not terribly far from being tested just in case.
The season-ending stretch opposite the Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Patriots is an ideal mix of good, bad, solid and decent competition with a few sturdy defenses. It's tough enough to experiment with possible solutions, yet not a gauntlet.
No single adjustment will shake the slump. But maybe Knox needs a more diverse route tree or the threat of McKenzie needs to create more pre-snap stress on defenses, even if he rarely touches the ball. Perhaps there's a larger pass-catching role for trade addition Nyheim Hines or rookie back James Cook to help atone for the offensive line.
Editor's note: Since publish, Buffalo has also signed Cole Beasley to the practice squad. Mike Garofolo of NFL Network noted the expectation is Beasley will be on the active roster soon.
Plus, if the Bills snag the AFC's first-round bye, an extra week of rest might aid Allen's recovery, too.
Either way, the defense—even without sack artist Von Miller—is built to carry the team into the playoffs thanks to edge-rushing depth led by Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa, who both have at least 5.5 sacks behind Miller's team-high eight.
Buffalo has both talent and a fair bit of time. But the latter will soon run in critically short supply for the Super Bowl hopefuls.
If the offense fails to snap its recent funk, the basic expectations met on the surface and positive details on paper will be overshadowed by another painful on-field loss in the postseason.
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Odell Beckham Jr.'s Top Landing Spots After T.Y. Hilton's Cowboys Contract
Dec 12, 2022
NFL player Odell Beckham Jr. watches action during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the Boston Celtics, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The ongoing courtship between the Dallas Cowboys and free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. appears to have reached its end, as the Cowboys are reportedly bringing in a veteran pass-catcher.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater reported that Dallas reached an agreement with receiver T.Y. Hilton on Monday. The 33-year-old had played 10 years with the Indianapolis Colts and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection.
The addition of Hilton gives the Cowboys the extra offensive weapon they need as the playoffs approach. But where does that leave Beckham?
Here are the top remaining landing spots for the 30-year-old now that Dallas is likely no longer in the running.
Buffalo Bills
Beckham undoubtedly wants to join a contender to win another championship as he did with the Los Angeles Rams last season in Super Bowl LVI. He should look no further than the top team in the AFC.
The Buffalo Bills remained in the No. 1 spot after Sunday's gritty win over the New York Jets. At 10-3, Buffalo is one of the favorites to compete for a Super Bowl title this year, but the team could still use another target for star quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bills have one of the best receivers in the league in Stefon Diggs, who leads the team with 94 receptions, 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns. However, no other player on the team has 40 catches. Allen's over-reliance on Diggs can come back to haunt Buffalo if teams focus their defense on him.
Adding Beckham to the mix would help take some attention off Diggs. For what it's worth, last month Beckham named the Bills as one of four teams he'd be interested in joining after he completed his recovery from a torn ACL.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are the hottest team in the NFL, earning their sixth straight victory on Sunday with a blowout over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, star receiver Deebo Samuel went down with an ankle injury during the game, putting his status in question for the next few weeks.
Beckham could be the perfect option to fill in for Samuel if he misses extended time. If both are able to be on the field together, it would add a different dimension to an already dynamic 49ers offense.
San Francisco lost veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for at least the remainder of the regular season because of a broken foot. Rookie signal-caller Brock Purdy proved he can steer the ship in the interim with a three-touchdown performance (two passing, one rushing) against the Bucs.
The 49ers could look to add Beckham as another reliable target for the seventh-round pick as they charge toward the postseason.
Kansas City Chiefs
After losing star wide receiver Tyreek Hill this offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs have had to adjust on offense. However, perennial MVP candidate Patrick Mahomes still has the Chiefs on the cusp of a seventh straight AFC West title.
While Mahomes has been able to make up for Kansas City's deficiencies throughout the regular season, cracks have begun to show. In Sunday's win over the Denver Broncos, he threw three touchdown passes but also had a season-high three interceptions.
The Chiefs had been hoping free-agent additions JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be able to make up for the absence of Hill. They've combined to reach the end zone just four times through 13 games. All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce remains the top target in Kansas City's passing attack.
Beckham would provide Mahomes with another option in the explosive Chiefs offense. He could also open things up for Smith-Schuster and Valdes-Scantling. The three-time Pro Bowler would likely have a ton of fun playing in Andy Reid's scheme.
New York Giants
It's never too late to come home. In Beckham's case, a reunion with the team he started his NFL career with would come at a perfect time.
At 7-5-1, the New York Giants are clinging to the seventh seed in the NFC and could surely use a boost as the regular season winds down. New York is 0-3-1 in its last four games and has dealt with injuries to multiple receivers throughout the year.
Darius Slayton leads the Giants with 608 receiving yards, while Richie James leads the team's wide receivers with 38 receptions and three touchdowns. Quarterback Daniel Jones ranks near the bottom of the league with 194.9 passing yards per game. Clearly, New York's air attack could use an injection of energy.
Beckham has appeared to be open to rejoining the Giants, and he had a "good dinner" with head coach Brian Daboll earlier this month. A return to New York would give him the opportunity to be a key contributor to the team's push for the playoffs.
In Week 14,
we saw the first NFL team punch its ticket to the playoffs, and that squad looks
like its peaked at the right time. Bleacher Report's Gary...
Bills' Josh Allen Partners with ForgiveCo to Clear over $10M in Consumer Debt
Dec 7, 2022
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - DECEMBER 01: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills drops back to pass in the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 01, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and ForgiveCo partnered to forgive $10 million of consumer debt, the parties announced Wednesday.
“Coming from a small town and now living out my dream playing football, I recognize that I owe a debt of gratitude to the fans for their support not only each Sunday but also their continued support of my off-field endeavors,” Allen said in a statement. “I was honored when ForgiveCo approached me with a chance to uplift thousands of hard-working Americans in the communities that support me by alleviating the burden of debt from their lives.”
The debt forgiveness will reach farmers in California’s Central Valley, where Allen grew up, along with people in need in Wyoming, where he attended college, Buffalo and 200 zipcodes where Buffalo fans are "are shown to be concentrated in fan chapters" throughout the U.S.
ForgiveCo, a public benefit corporation, partners with brands to forgive debt as a way of easing the financial burden of individuals.
An average of $3,847 will be relieved from about 2,600 people identified.
This Thursday, the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots will kick off Week 13 with a critical AFC East showdown. Both teams are in the playoff hunt and still...
