Josh Allen and the Bills Feeling ‘a Sense of Urgency’ Is Opening the Door for Playoff-Hungry AFC Teams
Heading into the 2021 NFL season, Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills were viewed as top contenders in the AFC pretty much wherever you looked. Many betting sites had the Bills as Super Bowl favorites and Allen as the MVP favorite, driving home the point that people around the NFL felt Buffalo was close to reaching their potential this year.
Even coming off an embarrassing loss to the New England Patriots, the Bills still have the fifth-best Super Bowl odds, and Allen has the second-best MVP odds (Odds Shark). People really like the Bills at the moment.
However, despite all the positive attention the Bills have received from betting sites and the national media in general, their latest loss is casting doubt on their ability to contend this year. Not only contending for a Super Bowl, but contending for a playoff spot in general.
The Bills are slowly slipping out of the AFC playoff picture
The Bills have controlled the AFC East for most of 2021, seemingly establishing themselves as locks to make the postseason by the season’s end. However, with a 7-5 record, Allen and the Bills are barely holding onto a playoff spot heading into Week 14.
The Bills are the No. 7 seed in the AFC, currently in the newly implemented third Wild Card spot. If it weren’t for the expanded postseason format, the Bills would actually be on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture.
Additionally, the Bills have at least two more uber-challenging games left in their schedule. They face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14 and the Patriots again in Week 16. Brady and Bill Belichick — the last two people Allen and the Bills want to be playing against with a playoff spot on the line in December.
Josh Allen revealed he’s starting to feel ‘a sense of urgency’
With the season rapidly nearing a close, Allen revealed the Bills are, in fact, starting to feel a sense of urgency. They’re running out of time to catch New England in the AFC East race, and several teams are closing ground on them in the Wild Card race.
“I think there obviously is a sense of urgency of what we need to do,” Allen said.
“But there’s no panic in our locker room. We’re extremely united right now with what we need to do. We’ve had a couple of really good days of practice and walkthroughs, and we’re looking forward to going out there and getting a chance to play against the defending world champs and arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.”
A loss at home to a rookie quarterback (Mac Jones) certainly appears to have roused up the Bills locker room. They aren’t going to coast their way to a playoff appearance as the early oddsmakers suggested.
Carson Wentz and the Colts are the biggest threat to Josh Allen and the Bills
Looking at the current state of the AFC, Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts are by far the biggest threat to Allen and the Bills. They’re only a half-game behind the Bills in the standings, and the Colts possess the tiebreaker due to beating them earlier this year.
The Colts are also playing impressive football at the moment. Running back Jonathan Taylor will get Offensive Player of the Year votes, and Wentz is a top candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.
If the Bills want to stave off a hungry Colts team down the stretch, that sense of urgency will have to translate into actual on-field results. They need to stack up wins and create space in the win column.
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
