Maybe the Buffalo Bills saw what was coming from quarterback Josh Allen going from Year 2 to Years 3 and 4, but certainly not a lot of others around the NFL did.
That was evident the way New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick spoke about Allen this week ahead of his team's showdown with the Bills on Monday Night Football.
"His improvement has just been tremendous," Belichick said. "Where it was three years ago — completion percentage, passer rating, decision making, production, it has just ... risen at a really remarkable rate. It’s just remarkable how good he has become."
Allen's numbers have dipped a bit this year compared to his breakout season of 2020, but he remains one of the most productive and dangerous quarterbacks in the league, having already thrown 25 touchdown passes and compiled more than 3,000 passing yards through 11 games.
That's due to his command of the offense and general football IQ, Belichick hinted.
“They audible a lot, they change things," the coach said. "They obviously have a lot of confidence in him. He handles them well on the line. Every other play they’ll run a bad play where they run into a bad look or a blitz or something like that. He doesn’t get fooled much by anything. It’s really, really impressive to watch how he’s developed there."
For his part, Allen is equally impressed with what he'll be up against on Monday night.
"They've got some really, really good dudes," Allen said. "You look at the corner position. [Jalen] Mills and [J.C.] Jackson, and Jackson's having another great year. They've got some guys that can get after the quarterback, [Dont'a] Hightower and [Matt] Judon and a few other guys. And they are very versatile. They're smart players. And [Devin] McCourty, obviously he's been in the league for a long time. He's extremely smart, extremely instinctive and he's doing some really good things.
" ... Their defense has been balling out during this little win streak that they've got. So we're going to have our hands full. ... We also want to make sure that we're being smart with the football and I want to take care of it and not put in harm's way in the air or on the ground, for that matter. But again, football happens sometimes, and you've got to be able to roll the punches, forget about it and get on to the next play."
A win by the Bills (7-4) would catapult them back into first place in the AFC East over the Patriots (8-4).
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