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By\u00a0Rob Maaddi And Haya Panjwani The Associated Press\n <\/p>\n
Various NFL Players: Hey, this is Russell Wilson. This is Joe Montana. This is Dak Prescott. Hey, this is Jason Kelce, and you\u2019re listening to Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi.<\/p>\n
Rob Maaddi, AP NFL Writer: Welcome to the all-new On Football with me, AP NFL writer Rob Maaddi. The NFL\u2019s Week 1 kicked off with several great games highlighted by the Buffalo Bills rallying to beat the Baltimore Ravens 41-40. First ever 41- 40 score in an NFL game. It was a playoff rematch between two teams who we could see them face off again in January. So, coming up, we\u2019re gonna talk to the man who led the Buffalo Bills to that incredible comeback NFL MVP, Josh Allen.<\/p>\n
But first let\u2019s get to a few predictions, Pro Picks. Started the year off 13 and 3 straight up last week, 8 and 8 against the spread. Couple a half-point losses, it\u2019s OK, we\u2019ll take it. But the four pack was 4 and 0 straight up, 3 and 1 against this spread.<\/p>\n
We\u2019re going to go to our best bet first and that\u2019s Jim Harbaugh\u2019s Chargers, they sent a message with their victory over the Chiefs in Brazil. They are a legitimate contender to prevent Kansas City from their 10th AFC West title. Justin Herbert was sensational through for 317 yards. They\u2019re on the road Monday night against Pete Carroll\u2019s Raiders, who proved they\u2019re not gonna be a pushover in the AFC West. The Chargers are three and a half point favorites on the road, I\u2019m taking the Chargers, 30-23.<\/p>\n
For my upset special, I\u2019m looking at Atlanta plus three and a half at Minnesota. Michael Penix was, he was impressive in that loss against Tampa Bay. JJ McCarthy balled out in the fourth quarter and his first career start to lead the Vikings to a comeback win on Monday night on the road in Chicago. Vikings D is banged up. It\u2019s a short week off an emotional win. That\u2019s why I\u2019m leaning towards the upset, Falcons 23-20.<\/p>\n
Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl rematch. The Eagles could have lost last week to Dallas in the opener. CD Lamb catches a few of those passes, obviously not having Jalen Carter hurt the Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs looked out of sync Week 1 in Brazil. The offense started slow. They lost Xavier Worthy. Patrick Mahomes rallied them late, but the D couldn\u2019t make any stops. Kansas City hasn\u2019t started 0-2 since 2014. Mahomes has never lost three games in a row. They were embarrassed by Philly in the Superbowl. It\u2019s the revenge factor. Chiefs are one-point home underdogs. I\u2019m gonna take Kansas City to win that game, 26-24.<\/p>\n
For the last of the four-pack, Monday night, Tampa Bay at Houston, Texans are minus two and a half. Their offense struggled against the Rams. They can\u2019t afford to start 0-2, the two-time defending AFC South champs. C.J. Stroud should have more time in the pocket against the Buccaneers. Hassan Reddick had Tampa\u2019s only sack in win against Atlanta. Baker Mayfield and Emeka Ibuka clicked right away, but this is a tough spot for the Bucs. Texans 27-20.<\/p>\n
Up next, NFL MVP, Josh Allen.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Josh Allen was one of several quarterbacks who didn\u2019t play a single snap in the preseason, but all he did in Week 1, well, 33-46, 394 yards, two touchdowns, plus he ran for 30 yards and scored two touchdowns. On the ground. 251 of those passing yards, they came in the fourth quarter, and he rallied the Bills back from a 15-point deficit against the Ravens to a 41-40 win. Here\u2019s my conversation with Josh Allen, who\u2019s gonna lead Buffalo on the road against the New York Jets in North Jersey this week.<\/p>\n
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills: Rob, how\u2019s it going?<\/p>\n
MAADDI: What\u2019s going on, Josh? How are you, bud?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: I\u2019m doing great. Good to see you.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Just want to get into so much for rust, right? No preseason snaps, and you guys come out clicking right from the start. How were you able to build that chemistry with everybody and just be able to go out there and do what you did against Baltimore?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: Yeah, it\u2019s trusting, trusting our process. Trusting our other 10 guys on the football field, trusting what Joe\u2019s calling and really sticking to our fundamentals and how we worked during training camp and really just trying to pick up where we left off from last year.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Expectations, as you know, are so high for the Bills, but it\u2019s important to maintain that day-to-day focus as the leader. How do you do that for the team?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: Well, I think the number one thing I can do is one, be myself, try to be the best leader and teammate that I can be. And two, I\u2019ve been asked, what are your expectations for this year? I don\u2019t have any expectations. I just want to go out there and play football, work extremely hard, and just try to play to my full potential. And the results will come with that. So being more focused on the process rather than the results.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: How do you go from a start that you had in Week 1 and just to be able to, you got a divisional rival, you\u2019re on the road, you look at the film, you watch them, just to maintain that week to week steadiness?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: Well, we know, honestly, this is a different outfit than they have been maybe the last couple of years. You know, their coach is doing a good job with them. I thought they played extremely well during game one. You know they\u2019re doing some things slightly different over there, you know, but it\u2019s a hungry team. It\u2019s a team that\u2019s playing really well. They played some really good football this last week and we\u2019re going to have our hands full trying to understand what they\u2019re trying to do and go out there and execute to our best abilities because they got some absolute players on that side of the ball.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: I spoke to you, Josh, last year about playing with a chip on your shoulder. You\u2019re now an MVP. You\u2019ve got all kinds of accolades and praise being heaped upon you. Does it get harder to play with the chip on your shoulder when all of that\u2019s going on around you?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: No, I mean, I\u2019m still as internally driven as I ever have been. Obviously, just maybe priorities and what I\u2019m telling myself has changed. You know, all I\u2019m trying to do is execute each play and help my team win a football game. You know just trying to be a master of all situations that we\u2019re in and trusting, like I said, the process.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: What do you see is the most important quality as a leader, as a quarterback, as the guy that everybody looks to?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: I think it\u2019s authenticity. I think it\u2019s being the same guy every day. I feel like people can\u2019t really know you unless you know yourself. So being as real as you can be, and really getting to know each other, and finding out what makes certain guys tick.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: What kind of steps do you take to make sure that happens? I\u2019ve heard Aaron Rodgers talk about eating with different players in the cafeteria. Other guys have talked to me about maybe just chilling with defensive players, special teams, players, whoever it may be. What do you do?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: Yeah, it\u2019s sitting at different tables at lunch. It\u2019s inviting other people over for dinner. It\u2019s doing poker nights. It\u2019s in the OTA. He\u2019s making sure, like, hey, like come over, you know, have a nice little glass of apple juice and hang out and watch the games and watch a fight on, and just trying to be around the guys as much as possible because I think the most important thing here is the brotherhood and the relationship that you form because those relationships off the field pay dividends on the field.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Josh, you might be the most liked opponent by other teams fan basis. I mean, teams out there, fans out there that want to hate their opposing players, they always say it\u2019s hard not to like Josh Allen. How does that make you feel?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: I don\u2019t know, my whole mindset is this is such a weird profession in those terms because really 31 out of the 32 teams shouldn\u2019t like you. It\u2019s a good thing when they don\u2019t like it, that means you\u2019re probably doing something pretty good. So it\u2019s a weird situation to be in but I hope that they\u2019re saying those things because of you know the off the off-the-field impact stuff that I do, you know, the hospital and Oshawa Children\u2019s Hospital and the Patricia Allen Fund so hopefully maybe that\u2019s maybe that why I can get behind that.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Hey, my wife and I have been happily married, Josh, for 13 years. For us, it\u2019s communication, that\u2019s the key, and building our foundation on the Lord. Do you have any marital advice for newlyweds out there?<\/p>\n
ALLEN: You know, I\u2019m only a couple of months into it, I love my life, I love my wife. I think that\u2019s the most important thing, you know, making sure that your priorities are set and again, communication, making sure both sets of priorities are where they need to be, you now, and understanding I guess the wants and needs of each other.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: I appreciate you, man. Thank you so much for doing this and wish you a ton of blessings.<\/p>\n
ALLEN: Thank you, Rob. God bless.<\/p>\n
MAADDI: Back for a final word. I don\u2019t like to overreact to one game, but Aaron Rogers sure looks like he has plenty left in the tank. The 41-year-old four-time NFL MVP kind of stuck it to Aaron Glenn in his coaching debut with the Jets, 22 of 30, 244 yards, four touchdowns, no turnovers. Aaron Rogers earns my take that performance of the week.<\/p>\n