How Josh Allen’s athleticism can stave off the regression discussion

Heading into the 2021 NFL season, one word was lingering in the back of the mind of every Buffalo Bills fan.

Regression.

After a slow start to his NFL career, quarterback Josh Allen played at an MVP level last season as he helped the Bills to the AFC Championship game. In his third season in the league, Allen completed 69.2% of his passes — a high mark of his entire football career — for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns, against just ten interceptions.

Yet, the fear was that 2020 was a fluke. That either defenses would figure out how to defend Allen, or that the quarterback himself would look more like the 2018 and 2019 versions of Allen, and not the player we saw a season ago, once the year began.

After two games in 2021, that fear likely grew in the minds of Bills fans. After all, Allen’s completion mark after two weeks was below 60% again, his Adjusted Yards per Attempt checked in at 5.5, just above his previous career-low mark of 5.4 set as a rookie, and Buffalo was 1-1 after losing in the season opener to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Was regression not just a theory, but in fact upon us?

Not just yet.

The Steelers executed the quintessential defensive blueprint back in Week 1: Get pressure with four and cover with seven. That is a recipe to make any quarterback struggle. And while Allen was not perfect in a Week 2 win against Miami, we saw something from him that likely allows the quarterback to avoid the regression discussion. Something that eased his transition into the league, and makes him perhaps a model for quarterback evaluation going forward:

An incredible arm combined with elite athleticism for the position.

In the win over Miami, Allen hit on this touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs:

Regress this.

Allen, in the face of pressure from the right edge, flashes the football and then escapes the pocket, sliding to his right to buy time. The QB then scans the field for a target, before firing across his body towards the left side of the field to find Diggs. Making the play even more incredible is the fact that Diggs actually fell down early in the route, before getting back up and working towards his quarterback.

That kind of time is only possible with an athletic quarterback who can extend plays. This kind of touchdown is only possible when you add elite vision and arm talent from the QB himself.

Now fast forward to Week 3. The Bills scored early in their game against Washington, and Allen delivered on another such moment:

The ability of Allen to make throws like this while on the move, and deliver with elite velocity, is something that puts him in a different class of quarterbacks. So while defenses might find ways to slow him down, to confuse him with coverage looks and by spinning the safeties at the snap, Allen still has the ability to buy time with his athleticism, and rip throws like this to all levels of the field.

You know, those “this freakin’ guy” moments:

Those kinds of skills only regress in the hands of Father Time.