The Buffalo Bills have three games left in the regular season, but Josh Allen believes the team should treat each game as if it were a playoff game.
The Bills improved to 8-6 with significant wins against the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, placing them within three games of a postseason place. Allen stated that the Bills must regard the Chargers game in Los Angeles on December 23 as a must-win.
“We’ve got to control what we can control,” Allen remarked, as reported by The Associated Press. “It’s basically win or go home.” So, once again, we must be ready for every punch the Chargers may hurl at us and be able to respond and change.
The Bills will face a wounded Chargers team.
The Bills have a great opportunity to jump ahead in the playoff race, as they face a Chargers team that has been struck hard by injuries and some significant changes at the top. Quarterback Justin Herbert went down with a season-ending injury, while wide receiver Keenan Allen was declared out of the December 23 game.
Following last week’s 63-21 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers dismissed head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco. Quarter4 forecasts give the Bills a win chance of more over 90% versus the Chargers.
The Bills have relied heavily on running back James Cook in recent weeks, and he is coming off a career-high 25 runs for 179 yards and two scores against the Cowboys, according to The Associated Press, and he could have another favourable matchup ahead.
“Cook will be facing a Chargers run defence that has allowed an average of 146.2 yards over the past six games,” according to the newspaper. “Buffalo has also used Latavius Murray near the goal line, while also working in Ty Johnson as a change-of-pace runner.”
Josh Allen has taken a back seat.
Though the Bills have leaned heavily on Allen at points this season, he was benched in last week’s victory over the Chargers. Allen attempted 15 throws this season, completing seven for 94 yards.
While he did set an NFL record by scoring a throwing and rushing touchdown in his 10th game, Allen said he felt lucky to witness Cook take over the game.
“I felt like the kid that didn’t do anything in the class project and got an A,” Allen told reporters after the game, via Fox Sports.
Bills center Mitch Morse added that the team was ready to do whatever it took to get a win, but acknowledged that there was a lot of work still to be done.
“It was kind of all systems go today,” Morse said, as reported by The Associated Press. “We still have an uphill battle, but this is a great first step.”
The Bills will also require assistance from the teams ahead of them in the playoff bracket, but head coach Sean McDermott stated that they can only focus on the game at hand.
“We’re just focused on the Chargers right now,” stated the head coach, according to the Batavia Daily News. “We can’t control anything that’s outside of our control, and we just have to focus on the Chargers right now because if we don’t handle that, then all that other stuff is not going to matter.”
