"There is some kryptonite out there": Patriots great Julian Edelman lays down game plan to take "Superman" Josh Allen down

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were the last undefeated team in the 2025 NFL season. But they suffered an upset against the New England Patriots in Week 5, in what was a great performance by second-year quarterback Drake Maye.

Allen, by his standards, had an off night. He made many plays, but he also had some questionable throws, none more than his interception in the red zone. The Patriots did a great defensive job stopping him during the night, and they deserved the tough win.

Former Patriots superstars Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were impressed with their defensive game plan. In their podcast, "Dudes on Dudes", they discussed the strategies to limit Josh Allen, and how to make him less effective when playing at Highmark Stadium:

[3:30] "I would say both, stop the run, because if you make them one-dimensional, then you get a little more hero ball from Josh. He's Superman, but there is some kryptonite out there for the Superman-type quarterbacks. I mean, you look, Jones had a pick on him in the red zone because they rushed him. They kept him in the pocket. They had a guy spying on him all game. They played tight on coverage. Christian Gonzalez being back makes that defense a whole other defense."

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Josh Allen is currently the favorite to win the NFL MVP award for the 2025 season

Losing his first game of the season in Week 5 did not hurt the quarterback. The Buffalo Bills sit with a 4-1 record, and they're still in pole position to win the AFC East. In individual numbers, Allen has the best MVP odds entering Week 6.

He currently has +140 odds to win the award and is the favorite. He leads a group with Patrick Mahomes (+450) coming as second and Baker Mayfield (+800) appearing in third place. Jordan Love and Matthew Stafford complete the top 5.

One bad game does not diminish the prospects of success for Buffalo in 2025. But after five straight years of playoff disappointment, they'll be judged by success when January comes, not in the regular season. While it's a good problem to have, it also adds pressure at the most important time of the year.

About the author

Henrique Bulio is an NFL and College Football journalist at Sportskeeda and the Editor-in-Chief of Pro Football Brasil. He has a total 13 years of experience working in American Football, and playing quarterback at an amateur level in Brazil has given him a unique perspective of the game.

Henrique follows the Philadelphia Eagles closely due to Michael Vick's historic performance on MNF against the Washington Commanders in 2010. His all-time favorite player is Ed Reed; he believes that Reed is the greatest safety to ever play the game. Bill Belichick gets the nod as Henrique's favorite coach for coaching the Patriots to glory over two decades.

If Henrique were to be able to go back in time and watch one game, it would be Super Bowl XLIX, where the Patriots and the Seahawks played a complete, back-and-forth game that concluded with one of the biggest talking points in NFL history.

Technical deep dives are Henrique’s specialty, and he ensures never to use misleading words in his articles, since he himself consumes a lot of information off the web. He has had the privilege of interviewing Cairo Santos, Lamar Jackson, Jim Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Bruce Arians, Matt LaFleur, among others.

Aside from football, Henrique likes to play poker and Counter-Strike.

Know More

Buffalo Bills Nation! Check out the latest Buffalo Bills Schedule and dive into the latest Bills Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Henrique Bulio