There was a time this offseason, after the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs, when the popular narrative was that Buffalo’s window as a Super Bowl contender might be closed.
It hasn’t even been closed for a season.
After this season, it’s fair to assume the Bills will be a contender every season in Josh Allen’s prime. Allen is having an incredible season and that continued on Sunday. He again carried the Bills, beating a Detroit Lions team that was 12-1 before Sunday. The Bills had an offensive margin of 559 yards and defeated the Lions 48-42 in a game that really wasn’t that close. Buffalo improved to 11-2 with the win. Allen continues to march toward his first NFL MVP award. He had 362 yards passing with two passing touchdowns, and on the ground he had 68 yards and two touchdowns. Over the past two games, Allen has five passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns. It’s rare for a quarterback to reach the level that Allen has reached for most of this season.
What could really take Allen to the next level, in terms of his position in the game and the perception of him, would be a deep playoff run. On Sunday, the Bills looked like the kind of team that could be in Super Bowl LIX.
Invoices start well
The Bills immediately made a statement. They scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives. Josh Allen had two rushing touchdowns to start the game, then James Cook scored to give Buffalo a 21-7 lead. It wasn’t just that the Bills scored touchdowns. There was virtually no resistance to anything they did from the Lions defense.
Allen passed for 254 yards in the first half alone. The Lions were able to keep their heads above water in defense after Aidan Hutchinson’s injury weeks ago, but injuries have been piling up in defense and the last few games have not been great. The Green Bay Packers moved it along quite easily in Week 14, though the Lions held on for the win. The Bills took advantage of every flaw in the Lions defense. Allen hit pass after pass and when it wasn’t open for him, he just ran for a positive gain.
Detroit has a lot of offensive power and they have scored some points. Tim Patrick scored on a nice move by Jared Goff. Offensive lineman Dan Skipper got a 9-yard touchdown on a trick play. But the Lions still trailed 28-14 at halftime as the defense had no answers.
On the other hand, there aren’t many answers for Allen from any defense this season.
Buffalo extends lead
The bills continued to pile up in the third quarter. Amon Ra St.-Brown fumbled for a catch over the middle, and the Bills cashed in with a Khalil Shakir touchdown. That gave Buffalo a 35-14 lead. There was 3:31 left in the third quarter and the Bills had 35 points and 455 yards.
The Lions’ inability to stop Allen could have been a big factor in an unusual strategic move. With twelve minutes left, Detroit cut Buffalo’s lead to 38-28 and decided to try an offside. Onside kicks are almost never recovered due to the new rules, and trying one with twelve minutes to go seemed foolish, but the Lions had to try one and hope. It’s not like they stopped Allen anyway. The Bills recovered that desperation kick and returned it to the Detroit 5-yard line. Ray Davis scored on the next play to push the Bills’ lead to 45-28.
Allen hasn’t won an MVP or gone to a Super Bowl. He will probably win the MVP award this season. Although the Bills are two games behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the race for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, you can’t rule out Buffalo going to Kansas City and winning in the playoffs. The Bills looked like the best or second-best team in the NFL on Sunday (don’t forget the Eagles, who have won 10 straight).
There’s a chance the Bills end up in their first Super Bowl in three decades this season. Allen can be sure.
