ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Making his first career road start in one of the toughest places to play, Josh Allen showed the moment was not too big for him in Minnesota.
Allen led the Bills to a 27-6 win, one where he set the tone right from the get-go. The Bills marched down the field 75-yards, capped off by Allen's 10-yard touchdown run.
"I thought that he was poised and to be able to see the game in which he has seen it to this point, I think would suggest that he is on schedule. Still a lot of work to do and I know Josh has said the same and will continue to say that," head coach Sean McDermott said.
Allen was getting it done in whatever way possible. He rushed for 39 yards and two touchdowns and in the air, threw for 196 yards and a touchdown. Especially with it being so early in his career, Allen's play is certainly encouraging.
"I was pleased with the way that he handled things, in particular in the first half. I thought the thing that goes a little bit unnoticed was the situational football. I think there was a play right before half where we had a third and long, and he came back and got us back into field goal range to get three critical points before half there," McDermott explained.
"There were obviously some good things for him. He was good with his reads for the most part and made some loose plays with his feet. There are a lot of things to still clean up on. I think his footwork is getting better, his eye control and getting the ball out on time is getting better, but there are some good examples, like there were last week, of somethings we need to clean up," offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said.
Of course one of the most memorable if not the most memorable play in the game was when Allen hurdled over Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on third down.
"I think the takeaway for me was it was a critical third down. Minnesota blitzed, and Josh found a seam and took it. The part I like about it was he was decisive. You don’t always see that with young players. I thought overall, our team was decisive and played fast. Whenever you do that, usually good things happen," McDermott said.
Obviously, it's just one game. There's still a lot of work to be done especially in the passing game. Guys like Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones, Charles Clay and company have to help him out. Those play makers have to step up with a tough game against the Packers in Green Bay coming up this week.