Buffalo Bills need Josh Allen to make better decisions if they are to stay in the playoff mix

In the expanded NFL Playoffs, the first-ever Super Wild Card weekend started with Buffalo hosting Indianapolis in upstate New York where the home side secured a 27-24 victory over the Colts.

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is having a good season but his decision-making could be better. Picture: Billie Weiss/Getty Images

The Bills have had a stellar season and at the centre of the plaudits has been quarterback Josh Allen. The third-year player has seen a statistical jump of 10 per cent on his completion percentage. He also broke a Bills passing records and recorded the 25th best passing season, ever.

Rightfully, the change this season has Allen in the MVP conversation but, in the past two years, Allen has struggled.

The quarterback is renowned for his arm strength and ability to stretch the field. He has almost doubled his production on passes over 20 yards, completing 33 of 72 passes for 948 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

The addition of Stefon Diggs at wide receiver, a player who has exceptional speed whom Allen can’t seem to overthrow, has been crucial in the improvements with Diggs posting his best year – 1535 yards and eight touchdowns on 127 receptions, 20 of those receptions on passes over 20 yards.

But, Saturday’s game was close, probably closer than it should have been and it also showed one Allen’s biggest problems.

With the score 27-24 in the Buffalos’ favour, the Bills had the ball at the edge of field goal range. The only thing the Bills didn’t need was a long loss on the play.

That’s exactly what Allen did.

When his passing lanes didn’t appear, he started back peddling.

At no point did he look like he could escape the rushing defenders but instead of throwing the ball away, he took the hit, and fumbled the ball.

The Bills recovered the ball but lost 23 yards on the play in a crucial moment.

But this isn’t the only time he’s made those mental errors this season. In multiple games this season he has made similar mistakes, and while this year he has been lucky they haven’t cost wins, in a league as competitive as this it’s only a matter of time.

Allen has had a career year, that is undoubted, but is he the real deal or just another average player having a good season? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, if Buffalo are to stay in these playoffs, Allen needs to make better decisions in those crucial moments.

In the second game, Seattle hosted the LA Rams. This season’s third meeting between the teams was a cagey defensive battle in the early stages before Darius Williams intercepted Russell Wilson and returned it for a touchdown. On the back of rookie running back Cam Akers and the staunch defence, the Rams picked up a 30-20 victory.

Washington hosted Tampa Bay in what amounted to a comfortable 31-23 victory for the travelling team. Washington’s good defence kept the game close and despite an outstanding performance from rookie quarterback Taylor Heinicke, Washington never really looked like they could win.

Sunday started with a rematch from last years playoffs where Tennessee hosted Baltimore. Before the game, the talk focused on Lamar Jackson not having won a playoff game and the Titans’ 2000-yard rushing icon Derrick Henry.

Baltimore did a great job of winning at the line of scrimmage and preventing Henry from ever getting going, while Jackson managed to put his running ability in the spotlight. On the back of a combined team 250 yard rushing day, Baltimore managed to close out a 20-13 win.

In another game expected to be an easy win, New Orleans hosted Chicago. The Bears entered the game knowing that they would need to take their chances and when Javon Wims dropped a pass in the endzone it wasn't to be their night.

The Saints controlled the game and despite a good defensive performance from Chicago, their lack of offense made it a comfortable 21-9 win for New Orleans.

In the final game of the weekend, Pittsburgh hosted the Cleveland Browns and while the Browns hadn’t won in Pittsburgh since 2003, they started rapidly. On the first play, Pittsburgh’s bad snap resulted in a touchdown before three more gave Cleveland a 28-0 lead in the first quarter.

Despite a strong second-half comeback the Steelers never overcame the slow start and eventually lost 48-37.

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