Despite Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen had a rough NFL debut getting intercepted twice and losing by eleven points against the Chargers, Los Angeles' QB Philip Rivers thinks that the rookie has the “right approach.”
Bills season it's not looking promising. On Sunday they lost against the Chargers 31-20, which means they have been outscored 78-23 over their first two games (54-6 in first halves), their six-time Pro-Bowler RB LeSean McCoy fractured his ribs, cornerback Vontae Davis decided to retire from professional football in the middle of the game and on top of all these, the rookie quarterback Allen doesn't look ready for the NFL yet. However, the veteran Philip Rivers believes Buffalo should not worry in the latter.
“One thing he’s got is he [Josh Allen] can throw it a long way,” Rivers said, via NewYorkUpstate.com. “I know he has a great passion for the game. Each and every week he’s going to improve. There’s going to be some ups and downs. There always is. There still is for me in year 15. I think he’s got the right approach.”
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The seventh pick in this year’s Draft played poorly in his first start, finishing 18-of-33 for 245 yards with a touchdown at the end of the game when the Chargers were already winning by eighteen, threw two interceptions, and held the ball for too long getting sacked five times. He finished with a 63.3 passer rating, the worst mark in a starting debut among the four quarterbacks the Bills have drafted in the first round during the common draft era, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak.
But Allen’s teammates contributed to his deficient performance as well. He got no support from his receivers and yes, even when the rookie held onto the ball for too long, his offensive line had an awful performance and did not give him any time in some of those five sacks.
However, the Wyoming product made sure we all remembered he has a cannon arm, especially on the 57-yard pass to wide receiver Zay Jones late in the second quarter, which according to NFL Next Gen Stats, that pass is tied for the second-longest air distance (64.0) on a completed pass since 2016, when NFL Next Gen Stats began tracking.
After the game, Josh Allen pointed out that he learned a lot from this game by watching how Philip Rivers leads Chargers’ offense.
“You know he [Philip Rivers] gets the ball out super quick. He’s not afraid to throw it one yard in front of him,” Allen said. “To have my first start against him, a guy that kind of helped mentor me, was definitely kind of cool.”