Most dominant elements of the 2022/23 NFL playoffs: What to look out for in the postseason

#3. Josh Allen’s alien skill-set

NFL Regular Season - Buffalo Bills v Kansas City Chiefs

Talking about the Buffalo Bills concerning anything but the health of Damar Hamlin is challenging. I still have a tough time imagining that crew stepping onto a field, as long as their brother is still in a hospital bed. We got some great news recently and it’s usually easy for me to marble at the crazy set of tools that their quarterback brings to the NFL.

After discussing more of the team-building and overall evaluation of the team, we go back to the quarterbacks, specifically all the things Josh Allen can do. You can point to some questionable decision-making leading to turnovers (particularly in the red-zone) and that’s why he is a couple of spots down from Mahomes.

However, I don’t believe there’s a team in the NFL relying more heavily and putting more onto the plate of their quarterback than the Bills. They’ve truly asked their signal-caller to put on a cape and he has delivered in a major way these last three years (plus). Only Mahomes has been responsible for more total yards (4775) and touchdowns (39 – tied with Joe Burrow).

Obviously, what the two biggest poster children in terms of freaky skill-sets in Mahomes and Allen can do any time they take the snap is mind-warping. But what really stood out to me (looking back when those two faced off back in Week 6) was the way they would break the structure of defenses on numerous occasions.

Mahomes does it with the way he can escape from pressure and deliver from different arm-angles. Buffalo’s gunslinger can often wait an extra beat or even be late in the eyes of some, because of the velocity he can rip throws with.

Going back to their first meeting with the Jets (certainly not his best performance in an upset loss), on Buffalo’s final offensive play he literally put the ball right on the numbers of Gabe Davis. The ball legitimately traveled 70 yards through the air. Combining that ability to hang at the top of his drop and Stefon Diggs’ savvy to create that little bit of late separation matches extremely well.

Now, let’s get to the fact that this guy is also a 245-pound monster-truck when he carries the ball. Even though we’ve seen Allen hurt his elbow and ankle this season, he hasn’t been shy of putting his body on the line and delivering key plays as a runner.

He's capable of attacking every blade of grass as a passer and can gain ground in a hurry, run over a linebacker and stiff arm a cornerback. This presents a major challenge for defenses. However, Allen is also a featured weapon in the designed run game. The Bills can of course run zone reads at times, but QB power and sweeps towards the perimeter are staples on the menu. Allen is their biggest threat on the ground once they get into the red zone, and good luck stopping this tank on sneaks.

He has a combination of athleticism, size and arm-talent. Combined with his continued progression from a mental aspect, nobody may be able to stress defenses in as many ways as he does. Be ready to see some crazy things from Josh Allen in the NFL playoffs.