Playing without their two starting linebackers, the Buffalo Bills needed the offense to carry the load Sunday against the Miami Dolphins -- and Josh Allen delivered.
The third-year quarterback threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns, both career highs, in what might be the best game of his career. After recording his first 300-yard game against the Jets in Week 1, Allen completed 69% of his passes to eight different receivers in the Bills' 31-28 win.
Allen started hot, throwing for 249 yards and two scores in the first half as the Bills built a 17-10 lead. But they started slowly in the second half as Miami roared back to take a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter. Allen responded to Buffalo's first deficit of the season by completing 6 of 8 passes for 145 yards and 2 touchdowns over his next two drives to ice the game.
"He's got ice water in his veins, man," Bills coach Sean McDermott said. "There's no moment too big for him. That was true from the very start when we got him here, quite honestly."
In the process, Allen became both the first Bills player to throw for 400 yards and four touchdowns in a single game without an interception, and also the first Bills player to throw for 300 yards, at least two scores and zero interceptions, in consecutive games, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
He also joined Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for at least 700 yards and six touchdowns without an interception in the first two weeks of a season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Allen credited offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for calling the plays that put him in position to succeed and his teammates for executing on their end.
But he has also looked and felt more comfortable than ever now in his third year in Daboll's system.
"I feel like I've always played with a lot of confidence," Allen said, "but as far as knowing our playbook, knowing protections ... the comfortability of the offense, it's really good right now."