Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN January 15, 2024, 11:33 p.m. ET
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- Alaina Getzenberg is a staff writer who covers the Buffalo Bills and the NFL. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. You can follow her on Twitter @agetzenberg.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen stormed across the field, preparing to meet the Pittsburgh Steelers' defenders, it was interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady who called out to his fellow coaches through the headset All sliding should avoid contact.
According to Allen, others from the Bills on the field and on the sideline yelled for him to get down, but instead he just kept running. His legs continued to move on third-and-7 from the Buffalo 48-yard line midway through the second quarter, leading to a 52-yard touchdown run as part of a playoff performance that entered the NFL and Bills record books turned upside down.
Allen's play gave Buffalo a 31-17 victory over the Steelers in the wild-card playoff game on Monday. Be advised that snow is being thrown into the air around Highmark Stadium.
“They were playing man, we didn't have a great man call, so I decided to find a lane and got 15 to 20 yards down and there's a lot of people yelling slide,” Allen said. “And he didn’t slip and score. So it worked this time.”
Or as McDermott described it: “This is Josh doing some of the things Josh is known for. So everything in moderation.” This from a coach who has stressed the importance of Allen learning over the years how to slide to avoid hits.
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Wide receiver Khalil Shakir recalled how his jaw dropped during the play with rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid and agreed it was still a surprise to him. Tight end Dawson Knox noted that it's now almost normal for him to make at least one crazy play in a game.
“The awesome thing is I feel like I’ve been spoiled since I’ve been in the league,” right tackle Spencer Brown said. “I've been with Josh every single year, but just his ability to make plays and do things like that, you almost don't see that often, but I've seen it many times and I don't want to say I'm for that “I'm desensitized to it, but it's just like, 'Yeah, we'll take it.'”
Allen finished the rescheduled game, originally scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday but was postponed a day because of a snowstorm, completing 21 of 30 passes for 203 yards and three passing touchdowns. He ran for 74 yards on eight carries and the score. The touchdown run was the longest rushing score in Bills' postseason history and the second-longest by a quarterback (Colin Kaepernick, 56 yards, 2012 divisional round).
“I think Josh did a fantastic job when we needed the yards the most … he just took off and made some gutsy runs and credit to him,” center Mitch Morse said. “At first I thought he might slip, and then it's one of those things like, 'No, no, no. Yes, yes, yes, yes.' As always, he helps us out of difficult situations.”
The game was Allen's third career playoff game with four combined passing and rushing touchdowns and zero turnovers, tying Joe Montana and Patrick Mahomes for the most in NFL history. It was only the second time since Week 4 that Allen didn't turn the ball over.
A decline in turnovers by the Bills offense can be attributed to Brady taking over the playcalling and running the football better in Week 11. From Weeks 1 to 10, Buffalo had a committed rush percentage of 36% and a drive turnover percentage of 17. Since then, the rushing play percentage has increased to 47 and the percentage of drives that end in turnovers is 10 sunk.
It wasn't a perfect game from Allen, and the offense's slow start to the second half – a three-and-out followed by just one field goal in a 14-play drive – helped the Steelers get back into the game the game and reach it within one score.
But when they needed it most, Allen and the offense responded with a touchdown on the very next drive, thanks to some elusive moments from Shakir after he caught a pass from Allen to get into the end zone.
“[Allen’s] completely different. “He’s the best quarterback in the league, hands down,” Shakir said. “What he can do.” And yes, such moments are of course a good feeling.
Next up, the Bills must host the Kansas City Chiefs in Mahomes' first road playoff game, on one fewer day of preparation since the contest was postponed. Mahomes and Allen are the third group of starting quarterbacks to face each other three times in the postseason before turning 30. They join John Elway and Bernie Kosar as well as Troy Aikman and Brett Favre.
“[Mahomes] “Maybe he wants to come here, man, since we played there so many times, maybe he needs a change of scenery,” defensive tackle Ed Oliver said. “He might be lucky to come here. You never know.”