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Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen has helped transform the Buffalo Bills into a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and now an unexpected threat in the AFC East could be the Miami Dolphins.
Allen is the Bills' driving force, leading them toward recognition as one of the league’s best teams. Despite the Buffalo Bills coming off earning their first AFC East division title since 1995, the Wyoming product isn’t overlooking the rest of the division.
Josh Allen is not taking the Miami Dolphins lightly this season
It’s especially the case with the Dolphins, who have seemingly undergone a massive cultural change with head coach Brian Flores. The shift has transformed the franchise into a push toward becoming a playoff constant.
The Dolphins’ continued rise has certainly caught Allen’s attention as he voiced before the Week 2 matchup that he can’t look past the division rival.
“Sunday will be a good test against a really good in-division opponent,” Allen said, via the team’s website. “They’re playing well. Going back to last year, they played really well. But this year’s a new year. What we did last year, what they did last year, really, what we did last week and what they did last week, it doesn’t matter. It’s a game-plan week-to-week league. And we’ve got to go out there and execute.”
The comments come from a quarterback who has had strong success against the Dolphins in his brief NFL career. In six career games, he holds a 5-1 record while throwing for 1,552 passing yards with 17 touchdown passes to four interceptions and a 64 percent completion rate.
His mindset is likely fueled in part by wanting to help the Bills avoid an 0-2 start to the season after falling 23-16 in the season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Nonetheless, the Dolphins had a strong showing in the 17-16 win over the New England Patriots in Week 1 action.
Miami holds a stout defense that limited the Patriots to just 5.6 yards per play and forced two turnovers. Meanwhile, second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa continues to provide steady play under center.
Tagovailoa is still working to become a more dependable option with his arm, but he’s given the Dolphins stability that’s pushed them forward. The team will open up the playbook more as the season rolls along to allow him to lead the offense more effectively.
Beyond that, the early-season matchup could see Miami grab a two-game edge to grab the AFC East division title. Yes, it’s extremely early in the 2021 campaign, but it could become a slippery slope towards a disappointing year.
Allen is well aware of that possibility ahead, and the Dolphins are more than a formidable challenge in Week 2 as well as for the rest of the season to snatch the AFC East division title.
