Josh Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a narrow 27-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL playoffs wild card round on Sunday, January 11.
The quarterback finished the game with 273 passing yards and three touchdowns, including a 10-yard pass at the end of the game. Ahead of the matchup with the Denver Broncos, the opposing coach has a strategy to try to stop him.
Payton’s plan to slow down Allen and the Bills
Josh shone in the game against Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars, completing 28 of his 35 passes with an 80% completion rate and no interceptions.
His aggressiveness, characterized by his great ability to both pass and run, has made him one of the league’s most outstanding quarterbacks, and although he is currently the reigning MVP, he will not give up in his quest for his first Super Bowl, something he made clear last Sunday.
His performance did not go unnoticed by fans, but neither did it go unnoticed by the head coach of his next opponent, Sean Payton. Speaking to the press ahead of the divisional round game on Saturday, January 17, the 62-year-old coach referred to his great skills and how challenging it is to defend the QB:
“So there’s a lot that goes into that relative to defending him. He has tremendous legs. He’s a fantastic competitor. He was the difference when that game was close last weekend, and here it is the final drive. It’s been a while since I saw someone gain seven yards on a sneak,” Payton said. “He’s one of the stars of our league, and you see it year in and year out.”
However, it’s worth remembering that last year the Broncos fell to the Bills in the wild card round 31-7. Allen recorded 272 passing yards and two touchdowns in that victory.
For this reason, Payton is well aware of what the 29-year-old quarterback is capable of and called on Broncos fans to make noise every time Allen and the offense enter the huddle:
“The noise level needs to be loudest when they enter the huddle,” Payton said. “Can we do that collectively for half of the snaps in the game? Say 65 snaps for 10 seconds. That’d be a huge advantage.”
Meanwhile, the top-ranked AFC team comes into this game well rested, with its main weapons ready for what shapes up to be a crucial battle against the Bills.
The Broncos are expected to have linebacker Dre Greenlaw on the field, while Buffalo will be without receivers Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers due to injuries.
The Bills-Broncos game will be at Empower Field at Mile High this Saturday, January 17, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS.
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