The only thing keeping Josh Allen from setting some records this season may be that the Buffalo Bills are too good.
In some games the Bills were so dominant that Allen left the second half on the ice. Sunday is one of them.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers were competitive, or Bills coach Sean McDermott had a grudge against McTomlin for some reason, Allen could have broken the single-game pass Records the yardage that has been on the books since 1951. Instead, he finished when the Bills won 38-3.
Allen had 348 yards and four touchdowns at halftime. Allen could have broken Van Brocklin’s long-standing record of 554 yards in a game if the Bills pitched in four straight quarters. Allen could also challenge the record for seven touchdown passes in a game. The Steelers won’t stop him. He started the game with a 98-yard touchdown pass to Gabriel Davis and continued to cook throughout the half.
In the first half alone, Beal had 400 yards, 11.8 yards per game, and eight 20-yard plays. These are the numbers for some of the Rams’ “greatest shows on the lawn.” Allen finished with 424 yards and four touchdowns, and could have had more.
Allen had a similar game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 when he had 4 touchdowns, but the Bills went 41-7 so he didn’t stick around to continue giving numbers .
Allen could win the MVP award this season. He could challenge some NFL records. But if the Bills don’t make it to the Super Bowl, everything will feel a little empty. That’s why next week is so important.
In Week 6, the Bills play the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills’ seasons have ended at Arrowhead Stadium in the playoffs the past two seasons. The Bills can obviously win a playoff game in Kansas City — they famously clocked 13 seconds last season — but if they can make the playoffs in Buffalo, their lives will be a lot easier. Without a win at Kansas City next Sunday afternoon, it will be hard to gain an advantage over Kansas City at home.
Quarterbacks don’t measure defense with ridiculous numbers against the Steelers in Week 5. Allen has to lead the Bills to the Super Bowl to gain widespread respect and become one of the game’s truly great quarterbacks. A win next Sunday could be a big step in that direction.
Here are the rest of the winners and Losers in Week 5 of the NFL season:
WINNERS
Taysom Hill: It doesn’t make much sense for the New Orleans Saints to play Hill like they did for Drew Brees for four Just like the point guard. It’s very smart when your quarterback is Andy Dalton.
Hill is tough to guard, and he was brilliant in Sunday’s 39-32 rout of the Atlanta Falcons. Hill made three touchdowns and threw another. After the Seahawks took a 32-31 lead, Hill ran for 60 yards at left tackle to make the lead.
Hill has had a great career as a gadget player. He was at his peak against the Falcons on Sunday, giving the Saints’ offense the boost it needs all season.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers Offense: Tampa The Bay Buccaneers won’t get caught up in the offense all season.
Last week, the Buccaneers added a few yards to the Kansas City Chiefs in garbage time. They carried that momentum into Sunday. Brady often pitched in the Buccaneers’ win over the Atlanta Falcons. He ran for 300 yards in the third quarter. Leonard Fournette had a great day. The Buccaneers were saved a little late in the game by a passer’s really bad rough-and-tumble on Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett, but the 21-15 victory pushed them to 3-2 on the season.
The first few weeks of the season haven’t been great for Tampa Bay’s offense. The Bucs also dealt with a number of injuries. They are getting healthier. Their offense will be fine.
Bailey Zappe: No, we won’t cite Drew Bledsoe-Tom Brady. But Zappe made the most of his opportunity with Mike Jones out on Sunday with an ankle injury.
Zappe excelled in a 29-0 victory over the Detroit Lions’ poor defense. He finished 17 of 21 for 188 yards with touchdowns and interceptions. The most impressive thing about the Patriots is the dominance of the Lions offense, which they were doing very well before Sunday. After Hoyer suffered a concussion. The Patriots decided to take on the Lions with a rookie fourth-round pick on Sunday. He looks good. Jones shouldn’t feel like he’s going to lose his job, but the Patriots have to be happy with Zappe’s performance against Detroit.
Justin Jefferson, again: Two games Before, Jefferson had three catches for 14 yards. That shouldn’t happen again.
The Minnesota Vikings have been feeding Jefferson for the past two weeks. On Sunday, they targeted him 13 times, which Jefferson converted to 12 catches for 154 yards. Jefferson’s poor performance in the second half, the Chicago Bears rose to overtake. But the Vikings returned with a 17-game 75-yard drive to regain the lead and win 29-22.
The Vikings are 4-1, though not always pretty, leading the Packers in the NFC North after Green Bay’s humiliating defeat at the London Giants. As long as the Vikings don’t forget Jefferson again, they’ll be fine.
LOSERS
Carson Wentz: Ask the Indianapolis Colts fans: Wentz will make accurate decisions when you don’t need to make a typo.
The Washington Commander made four shots from the 2-yard line in the final seconds against the Tennessee Titans, trailing 21-17. On the first descent, Wentz threw a strange floater to the back of the end zone and nearly got hit. Then he threw someone at the goal line who could have been picked up. He was finally eliminated in third place as Titans linebacker David Long intercepted him to end the game.
Wentz will have some matches. He has this ability. But he will destroy you when it matters most.
Dolphins and that 3-0 start: It’s not the Miami Dolphins’ fault that their stellar start to the season turned into a two-game losing streak. They lost quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in their last game and then Teddy Bridgewater on Sunday. The Dolphins played pretty well against rookie seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson in the New York Jets until the fourth quarter. They had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth, but then faded. The Jets won 40-17.
Miami’s quarterback may soon be healthier. The Dolphins still have a good team, and 3-2 isn’t the worst place to be. But when you start 3-0, you want to feel better after Week 5. Sunday’s loss felt empty, and there were more quarterback problems after that.
Same Jaguars:Jacksonville Americas All the positive publicity the Tigers had at the start of the season can now be ignored.
The Jaguars fell 13-6 to the Houston Texans, the only team in the NFL without a win in four weeks. The Jaguars got nothing on offense. Trevor Lawrence made a back error to throw an interception into the end zone that appeared to be aimed at Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. It passed directly to him. It was a serious mistake by a young quarterback who seemed to be making progress.
Lawrence’s turnover against the Eagles last week was forgiven for rainy weather. The weather was fine in Jacksonville on Sunday. Lawrence didn’t play well in a game the Jaguars shouldn’t have lost.
Jacoby Brissett: The Cleveland Browns are trying Shooting back Brissett remained afloat until Deshaun Watson returned from an 11-game suspension. Brissett is okay, but for some reason he’s still a backup.
Brissett made a huge mistake that cost the Browns their chance to win. They were in shooting range and trailed 30-28. But Brissett rolled right on the third drop and made a right block to Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Bryce Callahan with 2:44 left. Brissett could have thrown it to the 23rd row for the Browns to score. Instead, he made a mistake that he absolutely could not make.
Later, after the Chargers missed the four and two, the Browns had a chance to get that game-winning goal. But the Browns’ offense couldn’t come any closer than a 54-yard field goal by rookie Ced York, who pushed the ball to the right. The Chargers won 30-28.
It wasn’t all Brissett’s loss. But he didn’t help late in the game when the Browns needed it.
Green Bay Packers’ first trip to London: The Packers were the last team to play in London, they must have been on a long flight home.
The Packers’ offense scored zero in the second half, led 17-3 in the first half, and lost to the New York Giants 27-22. Aaron Rodgers’ fourth pass in the final two minutes was hit at the free throw line and was incomplete.
Maybe it would be nice to lose to the Giants. New York has been questioned, but they are 4-1. Brian Daboll did a great job. But that’s not what competitors typically suffer. The Packers should have won easily. Especially when they start. Their defense couldn’t stop a one-dimensional offense with only Saquon Barkley and the rest. The offense didn’t appear in the second half. Randall Cobb was Green Bay’s best offensive player on Sunday, and that’s not good.
It’s been a long season and the Packers should be fine. But keep in mind Sunday’s loss, as it could be a sign they’re not as good as they’ve been in past seasons.
