Josh Allen took the blame for the Buffalo Bills’ divisional round playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, but the star quarterback isn’t apologizing for his playing style.
In an interview with FS1’s “First Things First,” Allen admitted that he sometimes feels obligated to play aggressively as he’s been one of the game’s top dual-threat quarterbacks.
“I think it’s all dictated based on the flow of the game, understanding where I’m at in the season, who do we have in there with us, is our defense rolling, who’s hurt and who’s not,” Allens said when asked how he determines when to take risks and when to play conservatively. “Obviously, I’m going to go out there and make every play. Sometimes, it puts me in a bad spot. I understand that. But I think more often times than not, I’ve made those plays and I continue to prove that.
“If I can sit in the pocket and be 25-of-25 and don’t have to run around, I would love to do that. That’s something that, as I get older and less athletic, as you do with age — I’m still not there yet, I think you have until you’re 32 to be in your prime as a male — I feel like I’ve still got some time to run around and make some plays. At the same time, I’m just trying to find ways to help this team win some football games.”
Allen’s aggressive playing style has mostly benefited him throughout his career, especially over the last two seasons. He won MVP in 2024 as a result of his playmaking ability, and he was second in the league in total touchdowns (39) this past season.
But the Bills’ playoff loss to the Broncos showed the potential downside to Allen’s aggressive play. He committed four turnovers in that game, losing a key fumble that essentially led to three free points for the Broncos right before halftime. He also threw an interception in the Bills’ lone drive in overtime, although there was some controversy over that play.
That loss led some to wonder if the Bills had missed their chance to win a Super Bowl and if their title-contention window had closed. As the Bills made the playoffs for the seventh-straight season in 2025, they’ve yet to make the Super Bowl since their infamous streak of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the 1990s.
Allen is still hopeful that the Bills will make and win a Super Bowl, but he doesn’t feel pressure to get over the hump.
“Every year, that’s been my goal, is to go win a Super Bowl and bring a trophy back to Western New York. Obviously, that’s everyone else’s goal in the league, too,” Allen said when asked if he feels some pressure to win a Super Bowl as he turns 30 this offseason. “I play this game because I love it. I never played as a young kid because I thought I’d be in the NFL and getting paid to do what I do and do for the trophies, MVPs and all that stuff. Obviously, that’s the ultimate goal, is to win a Super Bowl. It takes so much throughout the season to get there and to go out and win out. I’m going to keep working tirelessly until we get that opportunity to get it done.
“But I’ve never focused on the results, moreso just going out there to play the game that I love and how I love to play it. If the results come with that, and hopefully they will, I’ll be very ecstatic when they do. If not, I’m going to keep working to find that out.”
Adding to the devastation of the Bills’ playoff exit this year, some had felt this was their best opportunity to win a Super Bowl with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow failing to make the playoffs. But Allen said that he and his Bills teammates didn’t have that thought entering this postseason.
“That’s something we don’t talk about in the locker room, really,” Allen said of that narrative. “We don’t care so much about who else is in the playoffs with us, how to get there, how to get it done. The short answer is, we didn’t get done this year. That’s on us. That’s on me. We’re going to keep working tirelessly until we find a way to get there and get it done.”
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