I don’t know when it began, but I swoon for Josh Allen every time I see that bearded baby face on television. It wasn’t when he was at Wyoming, and I don’t think it was even in his first season. But there’s just something about the Bills that feels special. Maybe it’s the mystique of a fan base that’s main celebration is pretending their people wrestlers. Maybe it’s even something to do with the fact that Buffalo feels like a small town compared to every other NFL team’s city. (I looked it up and it’s 275,000, which feels small for a state that claims 2 other football teams).
I do think what makes Josh Allen so likeable is the fact he worked so hard to get to this point. Sure, being 6’5 with a divinely bestowed arm helps. And I can’t pretend he’s some Brock Purdy, because going seventh seems like a pretty good endorsement of talent. But those emails he sent to every coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator are every football commentators dream. They can just call him gritty and determined and never have to offer any analysis (looking at all of ESPN).
But ever since that 2021 AFC Championship, the Bills just haven’t been the same. And it is breaking my heart. To be fair, for the last couple seasons I knew the Texans wouldn’t be a team to watch. And the mystique and underdoggedness of the Bills just made them so likable. Watching them fall these past two seasons has been painful.
Flying Too High
Josh Allen reminds me a lot of Jacob DeGrom. It’s an extremely weird comparison, but both players are constantly trying to do one thing: get as close as humanly possible to the sun. I’m not ready to call Josh Allen an Icarus yet, but DeGrom is an Icarus. DeGrom is constantly injured. When he got injured early last season it wasn’t even surprising; it was expected.
Jacob DeGrom is so obsessed with throwing faster, harder, and better than he has been. He is his own worst enemy. If DeGrom was okay with only consistently throwing 95 mph fastballs, he’d be on the field for the entire season. But he might not be DeGrom. He needs to hit triple digits to justify his own pitching. And to justify his own pitching he needs to destroy himself and his arm and his career in the process. He’ll be back next season, and he will get hurt next season, because the Icarus-mindset of going as high with what you’ve been given infects him.
The same is true of Josh Allen. He has been given the gunslinger attribute, able to throw faster, farther, and better than almost every quarterback. But he is constantly trying to Icarus himself, because he has that arm. There’s a reason Josh Allen leads the league in interceptions every year. There’s a reason he will always try and force a ball between three defenders to a tight-windowed Diggs.
And those tight situations (insert joke about. a tight ass here), leads to Josh leading the league this season in interceptions. Last season he was one outside of Mills Mafia with 14 interceptions. And the season before that he tied for most interceptions. Now, these aren’t as bad as Jameis’ 30 interception season (I still believe in him).
I fully believe Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills are seeing this window close. Just like any open door, at some point there will be a wind that slams it shut. Turns out, the wind is just bad decisions and poor defense. And so Josh Allen decides to fly as close to the sun as possible hoping to keep that door open.
The Chiefs at the Gates
To be fully fair, the decline of the Bills isn’t the fault of Josh Allen. Sure, has his poor decision making hurt the team? Of course, he’s literally the offense. If Josh Allen declines, so does the scoring capabilities of the team. But there are just so many things going on at once.
The defense has so many gaping holes, I’m pretty sure they’re going to have to hire a few fluffers. I know Broncos hate is kind of overdone, but you could legitimately add some clips to a Russell Wilson highlight reel (I imagine to some techno Christian artist. I’d make a joke if I knew of any). It also doesn’t help the dastardly Andy Reid stole their corner in the draft. It also doesn’t help the main players on the defense are over the 30 rainbow bridge.
We’re out here talking about the Bills missing the playoffs, which was still pretty unfathomable at the beginning of the season. After the 2021 AFC Championship game, I assumed the Bills and Chiefs would be like Batman and the Joker – destined to do that forever. But here we are, writing off the rest of the season like they’re questionable receipts on a tax form.
And it’s sad to see. I had so much hope. I could only imagine the ESPN and Buffalo newspaper headlines the day after the Bills win the Super Bowl. Every one talking about how this junior college quarterback led a historic franchise with a dangerously dedicated fan base back to glory. And that was going to be the story for years to come. But now, I’m writing a goodbye to the 2023 Bills and all I can see is Josh Allen’s dream slipping away.
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