FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Buffalo Bills receiver Cole Beasley spoke with reporters at his locker Saturday night, roughly 30 minutes after Josh Allen's fourth-down heave was deflected by New England Patriots defenders to end Buffalo's upset bid.
Beasley turned in his second 100-yard receiving game of the season (a career best) in the Bills' 24-17 loss to New England but he wasn't focused on that; he did, however, have plenty to say about the team's second-year quarterback, Allen.
"That dude's gonna be one of the best quarterbacks in the league," Beasley said.
Allen overcame a dreadful start that saw him throw for 19 yards in the first 29:30 before salvaging his first half with a 34-yard pass to Dawson Knox and a 1-yard touchdown pass to Dion Dawkins. He finished by going 13-of-26 for 206 yards and two touchdowns -- a stark difference from his three-interception performance against the Patriots in Week 4.
As he has done relatively often throughout his first two seasons, Allen put his team in position to score with the game on the line. His last-ditch throw to Beasley did not connect but his play in the second half is part of the reason why the Bills and their fans are shedding the familiar pit in their stomachs associated with playing the Patriots.
"I would say that every week, Josh's captain's 'C' just gets darker and darker -- as in bolder and bolder for people to see it," Dawkins said. "Josh continues to put the team on his back and you guys see it. [In the] fourth quarter, Josh does what Josh does. We love him and we're thankful for him. That's our quarterback and that's my 17."
Since a pedestrian start to the season that saw Allen throw seven interceptions in the Bills' first five games, he has thrown 15 touchdowns to two interceptions, adding another six scores on the ground. It hasn't always been pretty -- he has completed 56% of his passes in that span and is averaging fewer than 200 passing yards per game.
But his proficiency in the fourth quarter generally masks the warts of his game.
In the fourth quarter this season, Allen's 8:0 touchdown-to-interception ratio is the best in the NFL, his 109.7 passer rating ranks sixth and his 11 rushing first downs rank second among quarterbacks. His eight game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime since the start of last season trail only Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Drew Brees.
He has showcased an ability to elevate his play in the biggest moments.
"He's a dog, man. He's a gamer," Beasley said. "When the game's on the line, he's going to do everything he has to do and put his body on the line for his team. When you've got a guy like that, good things are going to happen."
Buffalo's loss Saturday locked it into the AFC's fifth seed, setting up a playoff matchup at Kansas City or Houston. With little to play for in Week 17, Allen probably will have limited, if any, snaps against the New York Jets.
Resting their starting quarterback in the final week of the regular season is unfamiliar territory for a franchise that has clinched two playoff berths since the turn of the century -- as are the four games it has played since Nov. 28 that had playoff implications.
Throughout their locker room, Bills players echoed the sentiment that there are no moral victories anymore. There are, however, plenty of learning experiences.
"If you look at the teams we've played the past three weeks they're all playoff-type teams," Allen said. "So getting that experience against these defenses, teams we might be able to see again -- it's all valuable experience, because playing those games in December means something; not many people are doing that right now and we're one of those teams.
"This [Patriots loss] hurts for us, obviously, because we don't want anybody to win the [AFC] East during our game. That's one we'll take to heart, so we'll learn from it."