Philadelphia Eagles scouting reports: Bills QB Josh Allen
In Week 8, the Philadelphia Eagles face one of the best young signal-callers in the game in Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Look at the bright side if you’re a Philadelphia Eagles fan. Last season, after seven weeks, this team had a record of 3-4 too. They went on to finish with a 9-7 win-loss total, and they won a playoff game. For whatever reason, it seems like this team is a whole lot worse than that one was, but much of what was being discussed is identical.
Everyone hated Doug Pederson‘s playcalling. They had an upcoming road game (that one meant they had to travel to the United Kingdom to play in Wembley Stadium), and if they won, they’d be right in the thick of things for the NFC East’s division lead. Sound familiar?
In Week 8 of this campaign, ‘The Birds’ travel to upstate New York to face a scrappy Buffalo Bills team and one of the best young quarterbacks in the game, Josh Allen. Buffalo isn’t really what you’d call explosive on offense, but if this season has taught us anything, it’s this.
Philly makes average quarterbacks look like superstars, and if there’s a struggling skill player, the cure for all that ails him might be a date with the Eagles defense. This is Philly’s first meeting with Allen. Here’s what was said about him by Lance Zierlein in his draft profile on NFL.com prior to last season.
"Allen’s size and arm talent are prototypical for early first-round picks, but it’s rare to find a quarterback with such a low college completion rate become a successful pro. Allen’s receivers struggled to separate, but there were plenty of times where his lack of anticipation and post-snap plan did him in. Allen can make some truly special throws, but his ability to improve the mental part of his game will determine whether he’s a good NFL starter or just another big, strong-armed guy."
The following were listed as some of his strengths: He has the prototypical frame for a pocket passer. His sturdy base allows him to shake off sacks and extend plays, and he has a variety of release points if needed. If you’ve seen him play, it doesn’t appear that much has changed.
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In 18 career games with 17 games under his belt as the Bills starter, Allen’s posted a 10-7 record, with 3,398 passing yards, and he’s tossed 17 touchdowns versus 19 interceptions. The Eagles should be experienced enough and gifted enough to limit him on Sunday, but after seeing what we all saw over the past two weeks, it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. Sunday’s a big game for both sides.