A Look Ahead to Week 8
Before America saw Al Michaels’ splendid tie knot, keeping his impeccable 40-year tie streak alive, money was pouring in on the Bills at all sportsbooks, offshore and on. The look-ahead line was 9, moved down to 8, then went charging in the other direction, closing at 10 with a small amount of 9.5 available. Most bettors believed the Bills would dominate the Bucs, and they did. They just didn’t cover the line, as they kept the Bucs in the game by not adding to their 14-point lead when they had three chances in the second half. The Bills moved the ball, getting first downs on every drive with the lead, yet couldn’t put the game away. They were always in control of the game, always in the lead, yet it never seemed like they would blow out the Bucs, no matter how bad Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield played.
As much as the Bills controlled the game, the difference in the game was one person—Josh Allen. Had Allen decided to wear a Bucs jersey before the game and Mayfield slipped on the Bills' flashy blues, the outcome would have been different. Allen tilts the field—which was my former boss Al Davis' favorite saying about great players. Often, he would ask me, what would our team look like if we had “name the player” on my team? My answer was always, “a helluva lot better.”
Allen hides the many problems of the Bills and makes many of us believe the Bills are this ultra-talented team—they are not. The Bills are an average team, below when the injuries hit, with an elite quarterback. Allen’s elite play is why they have a small chance to make a run to the Super Bowl. If you’re holding a Josh Allen MVP ticket, believing he has no chance based on the play of the Bills, don’t give up. If the Bills win the East, it will be because of Allen. If they win a playoff game, it’s because of Allen. If they get to Las Vegas, it will be all because of Allen. And even though the votes are tallied before the playoffs, if Allen does the unthinkable and gets the Bills the one or two seed, it’s because he played like an MVP.
Watching the game last night, it’s hard to imagine Allen was the third quarterback picked in that draft. Mayfield, who became a media darling, was never the first pick in my mind in the 2018 draft. The Georgia-Oklahoma game was a clear indication of the struggles that awaited the barely six-foot passer. In the game, Mayfield struggled to see downfield, struggled to throw the ball outside the numbers, struggled to make plays and played small, which is how he looks now on his fourth team.