When I asked Allen a few minutes later if he was, in fact, in a flow state during the final stages of a 36-31 victory over the Houston Texans, he broke into a wide smile and started laughing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYep,\u201d he acknowledged, \u201cthat was a good flow state. I was just feeling the flow, riding the bull. And it all came together.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bull in question was the Texans\u2019 formidable defense, and the ride was resplendent, culminating in an audacious, 34-yard touchdown strike to little-used receiver Joshua Palmer with 1:36 remaining.<\/p>\n
The last time I\u2019d seen Allen after a game, he was crying<\/a>, stung by yet another heartbreaking playoff defeat. Much has changed since that emotionally wrenching January evening, including Allen\u2019s head coach and marquee receiving target \u2014 D.J. Moore, acquired in a March trade with the Chicago Bears \u2014 but his mission remains the same: bring the Bills and their rabid fan base the Lombardi Trophy they have craved for decades.<\/p>\n Sunday\u2019s triumph was a promising start, part of a scoring explosion<\/a> across the league that included a game (the Bears\u2019 59-37 victory<\/a> over the Carolina Panthers) with more combined points than any in the past eight years. For many of the NFL\u2019s defensive players and coaches, it was a wake-up call \u2014 which, conveniently, happens to be the name of this new, weekly column.<\/p>\n The upshot of a wild opening Sunday was that even in the wake of a Super Bowl triumph fueled by a dominant defense<\/a>, this league still revolves around the star signal callers who give their teams a chance to dream, no matter how daunting the circumstances.<\/p>\n Bills edge Texans in Week 1 thriller <\/p>\n Allen, the league\u2019s 2024 MVP, spent his Sunday torching a Texans defense that went into the season billed by many as the NFL\u2019s best. Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson, playing for a new head coach (like Allen) and offensive coordinator (unlike Allen), was equally scintillating in leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 41-23 road rout<\/a> of the Indianapolis Colts. And while Cincinnati Bengals star QB Joe Burrow wasn\u2019t quite as hypnotic, his team\u2019s new-look defense fueled a 33-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> and provided hope that Cincy can end a three-year streak of missing the postseason.<\/p>\n On Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium the league\u2019s true jefe<\/a>, Patrick Mahomes, returns from a lost season and torn ACL to quarterback the Kansas City Chiefs in an early test against the Broncos, their AFC West rivals.<\/p>\n Beyond that top-shelf quartet of AFC quarterbacks, there are rumblings of a new generation\u2019s push to reach that lofty level. Most glaringly, Caleb Williams, the Bears\u2019 third-year QB, seems poised to become the latest member of his stacked draft class (joining Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye) to make pulses quicken and hearts flutter.<\/p>\n In two playoff games last January, Williams provided some of the 2025 postseason\u2019s most indelible moments. On Sunday in Charlotte, he nearly dropped 60 on a Panthers team also coming off a playoff appearance. Williams did it despite his first pass being fumbled away by receiver Luther Burden III (setting up a Panthers touchdown drive) and despite a failed fourth-and-1 conversion from his own 21-yard line (ditto).<\/p>\n Williams\u2019 dynamic effort was one of the more notable developments on a day when they came at a dizzying pace.<\/p>\n In the early window, the New Orleans Saints waged a furious road comeback, took the Detroit Lions to overtime and \u2014 in what was practically an homage to opposing coach Dan Campbell \u2014 blew off a likely tie and laid it all on the line with a late 2-point conversion attempt. Later, one LaFleur (Mike, the Arizona Cardinals\u2019 rookie coach) led his team to a stunning upset<\/a> while another (big brother Matt, the Green Bay Packers\u2019 eighth-year coach) watched a seemingly secure lead turn into a Minnesota Mauling<\/a>. And on Sunday night, we got our first piece of concrete evidence that the John Harbaugh Effect<\/a> is real, in the form of the vastly improved New York Giants\u2019 28-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.<\/p>\n If you were looking for a single sequence that encapsulated the frenzy, it happened during the final two minutes of the Bills\u2019 victory over the Texans, a game that had nine lead changes. Trailing 31-30 at the two-minute warning with the ball at his 32, Allen zipped a quick pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid, who shook off an attempted tackle by cornerback Kamari Lassiter and burst into the secondary for a 35-yard gain. Two plays later Allen, after being flushed to his left, launched an errant pass for Palmer \u2014 playing in place of the temporarily hobbled Moore, who\u2019d earlier scored on a spectacular 43-yard sideline throw from Allen. The ball instead sailed toward Lassiter, who nearly intercepted it as he fell backward into the end zone.<\/p>\n Given another chance Allen, on third-and-11, dropped back and unleashed a throw which, based on the Texans\u2019 coverage, he absolutely, positively had no business making. Allen zipped the ball to Palmer, who was running a deep post from the left side, into a tight window between the trailing Lassiter and closing safety Calen Bullock.<\/p>\n Receiver Khalil Shakir, who\u2019d juked slot safety Jalen Pitre and sprung open near the first-down marker, fully expected to get the ball in stride. \u201cBut he\u2019s a bad motherf\u2014er, as I told him,\u201d Shakir said of Allen, laughing. \u201cIf everybody could slow that down and see what he did out there, the way he manipulated them with his eyes and threw that pass, there\u2019s no question he\u2019s the best in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n Later, as Bills rookie coach Joe Brady headed to the team buses \u2014 having passed his first test after being promoted from offensive coordinator to replace the fired Sean McDermott \u2014 he confirmed that Palmer was not the intended target as the play was designed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s just a \u2018love-of-the-game\u2019 route,\u201d Brady said. \u201cAs a receiver, you usually run that to clear out space so someone else can catch it. But with Josh, you always have to be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n The Texans\u2019 proud defenders were stunned by Allen\u2019s dramatic scoring strike, even as embattled fourth-year quarterback C.J. Stroud proceeded to lead Houston to within nine yards of a winning touchdown \u2014 part of an impressive and encouraging performance \u2014 before Greg Rousseau\u2019s second strip sack sealed the game.<\/p>\n As Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair told me long after the game, shaking his head for emphasis: \u201cJosh Palmer catching a deep post on Kamari Lassiter to win the game \u2014 I did not have that on my bingo card.\u201d<\/p>\n It was yet another indelible moment for Allen and the Bills, who\u2019ll open their new stadium Thursday night against the Lions.<\/p>\n If all goes well for Buffalo, he\u2019ll let it flow the way he did on Sunday.<\/p>\n Did Ben Johnson stutter?<\/p>\n In early August, my esteemed colleague Dan Pompei spent 14 hours with Bears coach Ben Johnson, who wasn\u2019t bashful about his aspirations<\/a>: \u201cYou\u2019ve got 31 other teams coming to training camp saying, \u2018Our goal is to win the Super Bowl.\u2019 I want more than that. I want to have the highest-scoring offense ever, which happens to be the 2013 Denver Broncos. I know how many points per game they scored (37.9), and I want to surpass them.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson said what he said, and on Sunday, he did what he did: The Bears are now three touchdowns ahead of the Peyton Manning-led Broncos\u2019 scoring pace, after a game that featured more combined points (96) than any in the NFL since the epic 2018 Monday night clash between the Los Angeles Rams and Chiefs at the L.A. Coliseum.<\/p>\n After Sunday\u2019s victory Johnson, via text, chose an epic understatement: \u201cFound a way \u2014 now it\u2019s on to the next.\u201d<\/p>\n Top Plays from Bears @ Panthers<\/p>\n That\u2019s like Pearl Jam\u2019s Mike McCready, after his ripping national anthem before Wednesday night\u2019s season-opening game between the Seahawks and New England Patriots in Seattle, saying, \u201cHit a few notes, now it\u2019s on to \u2018Yellow Ledbetter.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field next Sunday, setting the stage for a schematic showdown between the creative Johnson and Brian Flores, the Vikings\u2019 ultra-aggressive and highly acclaimed defensive coordinator, who also had a noteworthy season debut. Fasten your seatbelts for that one.<\/p>\n When you\u2019ve gotta go \u2026<\/p>\n The underdog Saints erased a 21-point third quarter deficit at Ford Field, had a chance to win on the final play of regulation (on Daniel Carlson\u2019s 62-yard field goal attempt) and rallied once more after Jared Goff threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the first possession of overtime. When second-year quarterback Tyler Shough cut Detroit\u2019s lead to 31-30 on an eight-yard scoring pass to Noah Fant with 1:34 left in OT, New Orleans coach Kellen Moore entered do-or-die mode, going for a 2-point conversion to tie the game.<\/p>\n In the House of Campbell, he had to.<\/p>\n \n New Orleans Saints receiver Bryce Lance couldn\u2019t haul in a two-point conversion attempt that would have given the Saints a win over the Detroit Lions. (Mike Mulholland \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019ve got to go for it,\u201d Goff told me later by phone. \u201cWe would have done the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Shough\u2019s pass to the right corner, intended for rookie Bryce Lance, landed out of the end zone \u2014 but it doesn\u2019t mean Moore made the wrong decision. And for what it\u2019s worth, the 0-1 Saints, locked in a four-way tie in the uninspiring NFC South, looked like division-title contenders on Sunday.<\/p>\n The worst thing I saw Sunday<\/p>\n While I\u2019m tempted to talk about Deshaun Watson\u2019s listless performance<\/a> for the Cleveland Browns in their 34-10 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars, that dishonor goes to the elder LaFleur. Matt\u2019s Packers had a 22-10 third quarter lead over the Vikings and, with new Minnesota starter Kyler Murray having been knocked from the game with a concussion, were playing against backup quarterback Carson Wentz.<\/p>\n Then it all imploded. Flores\u2019 defense produced a pair of fourth-quarter takeaways, and Minnesota scored 29 unanswered points in 16 minutes to win 39-22.<\/p>\n Vikings rally late to beat Packers<\/p>\n For LaFleur, it continued a disturbing trend. His team has now blown double-digit second half leads to division opponents three times in its past five games, including painful regular-season and playoff defeats to Johnson\u2019s Bears that doomed Green Bay\u2019s 2025 hopes. All of a sudden, next Sunday\u2019s road game against the Jets (1-0 after a victory at the Tennessee Titans and former New York coach Robert Saleh) feels far more pressure-packed for LaFleur than previously envisioned.<\/p>\n Dear Mr. Fantasy<\/p>\n If I could have one play call back for one team on Sunday, it would be the Washington Commanders\u2019 potential game-tying 2-point conversion attempt with 1:01 remaining in a 24-22 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles. With everything on the line, rookie offensive coordinator David Blough tried to be slick, dialing up a shovel pass to tight end John Bates.<\/p>\n \n Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo celebrates after stopping a potential game-tying two-point conversion attempt. (Bill Streicher \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n It was a disaster: Center Nick Allegretti got blown up, and Eagles defensive end Moro Ojomo tackled Bates well short of the goal line as he caught Daniels\u2019 pass. I\u2019m no play-calling genius, but it sure seemed like putting the game in the hands of the Commanders\u2019 accomplished pair of receivers, Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin, would have been a better idea.<\/p>\n Two things I can\u2019t comprehend Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, who hypes up his quarterbacks with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, was on a heater during a recent podcast appearance. \u201cAllow me to call my shot, like Babe Ruth pointing his bat over to centerfield,\u201d Harbaugh said on \u201cThe White House with Michael Irvin.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJustin Herbert, when it\u2019s all said and done \u2026 will be known as the greatest, best ever to play the position of quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s equivalent of a Heisman campaign got off to an inglorious start Sunday, with the 28-year-old Herbert, who has never won a playoff game, suffering a 26-14 home defeat to Mike LaFleur\u2019s lightly regarded Cardinals and journeyman Jacoby Brissett.<\/p>\n Or, as Harbaugh (now 6-1 in season openers) might put it: The most embarrassing opening-day defeat of all time!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2014 When Josh Allen heard the question, he couldn\u2019t help but go with the flow. In an…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":895378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[1748,49,48,514,82],"class_list":["post-895377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=895377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/895377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/895378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=895377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=895377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=895377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/GettyImages-2295109153-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Philadelphia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-09-14T000545Z_730825032_MT1USATODAY29816704_RTRMADP_3_NFL-WASHINGTON-COMMANDERS-AT-PHILADELPHIA.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\nWhy the United States Tennis Association and ESPN would sign off on a system that allowed a marquee match \u2014 the five-set quarterfinal between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz \u2014 to air at a time when most Americans were sleeping. Fault!
\nHow the Rams\u2019 sports scientists convinced one of the league\u2019s smartest coaches, Sean McVay, to sign off on a plan<\/a> that had the team complete its 16-hour flight to Australia 28 hours before last Thursday night\u2019s season-opening game against the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners, who showed up eight days before kickoff, rolled to a 27-7 victory. L.A., shockingly, seemed to lose energy<\/a> as the game went on. Even before kickoff, one longtime NFL assistant viewed the Rams\u2019 plan as a potential referendum on the overuse of analytics, telling me: \u201cI think tonight is the biggest game for analytics and sports science ever. The Rams look bad, and everyone points a finger at whoever told them to do that. They don\u2019t understand the game of f\u2013ing football. It\u2019s not just flight time. If Sean loses tonight, he gives every football coach cover when an analyst guy walks in his room to say, \u2018Shut the f\u2014 up, you\u2019re crazy.\u2019\u201d
\nThere goes the Heisman<\/p>\n