There’s something romantic and enticing about embracing the dark side. Whether it be in cinema or in sport, some of the greatest stories and careers have been made by becoming the villain and getting your hands dirty in the process.
Take NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. The legendary driver of the No. 3 Chevrolet began his career in a flashy, bright-colored car with a yellow and blue paint scheme. And while he was one of the best drivers in the sport, a flip switched somewhere around 1987 in the All-Star Race when Bill Elliott knocked him into the grass infield. Unbothered, Earnhardt kept the lead despite Elliott’s best attempt. By 1988, the No. 3 car went from yellow to all black, and Earnhardt became one of the most cerebral drivers in NASCAR. Thus, “The Intimidator” was born. And although it may be a relatively small sample size, it’s fair to say that the Buffalo Bills are entering their own Intimidator era of running the ball, caving in chests, and taking no prisoners, not caring if anyone enjoys it or not.
The Bills have been one of the most pass happy teams in the NFL since 2020. Josh Allen has finished top 10 in pass attempts in every season in that time frame, and has finished in the top five twice. Now, when you have a quarterback as special as Allen, of course you’re going to put the ball in his hands. However, Buffalo became too one-dimensional and relied far too much on Allen to be Superman. Since Joe Brady took over, though, the Bills have found the perfect equilibrium of running the ball and letting Josh be Josh.
Allen had four total scores against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. And even though the Bills trailed by 14 at one point, they didn’t get away from their philosophy. Allen only threw the ball 23 times in their Week 1 victory, but still threw two touchdowns and ran for two more, tying Steve Young for the most games in history with two passing and two rushing touchdowns. Against the Dolphins, Buffalo leaned into James Cook and the run game. Cook averaged seven yards per carry while running for two touchdowns. The Bills totaled 108 yards on 26 carries, and their defense picked off three Tua Tagovailoa passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Allen threw the ball just 19 times against the Dolphins, which marks the second time under Joe Brady in which he’s had fewer than 25 pass attempts in consecutive games. He did it once in 2023, as well, throwing 15 passes against the Cowboys and 21 passes against the Chargers - the Bills won all four games. Before last season, Allen hadn’t thrown fewer than 25 times in consecutive games since his rookie season in 2018 .
And again, Allen throwing the ball less doesn’t mean that Buffalo is trying to take the game out of his hands - just the opposite, actually. They are giving him a sustainable run game, and making him part of the run game, to open up better opportunities in the pass game and make defenses respect their ability to beat them in all facets of the game. Even with just 19 passes, Allen still made multiple throws that only he and a very small selection of quarterbacks can make. He made a gorgeous throw over the middle to Khalil Shakir in a tight window on third down to extend a drive that resulted in a touchdown. And he made his best throw of the night a few plays later running to his right and finding Ty Johnson inside the five after he beat Jalen Ramsey downfield. Josh Allen is still doing Josh Allen things, the Bills just aren’t asking him to do it every drive, nor are they living and dying off his superhuman abilities.
Once again, this all goes back to when Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator. From Weeks 10-18 last season , the Bills were fourth in the NFL in rushing yards and third in EPA per attempt, per Sports Info Solutions. Through two games in 2024, they are averaging 119 yards on the ground.
This is no longer a team that is making their living off deep balls and big plays - the Bills have become a balanced, efficient offense that can still go to the reliable well of Josh Allen to bail them out of sticky situations, rather than putting themselves in those situations by relying on Allen to do everything. And right now, the last thing any other NFL team wants to see in their rear view mirror is the Buffalo Bills creeping up on their rear bumper with no sense of remorse.
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