Ken Dorsey's firing on Tuesday wasn't shocking to those who watched the Buffalo Bills.
Surprise or not, Josh Allen feels responsible for the departure of his former offensive coordinator.
“Without a doubt, and I take that very personally,” Allen told reporters on Wednesday, explaining his belief Dorsey would still be on staff if Allen had played better, via NewYorkUpstate.com. “It hurts a lot to see someone you care about go through a situation like that and to know that if I could have done more, if this offense could have done more, we wouldn’t have had to do something like that.”
Allen and the Bills haven't lived up to expectations in most weeks, save for the occasional offensive explosion (e.g., a 48-20 win over Miami in Week 4). Allen has struggled to recapture his quarterbacking magic, leading the NFL in interceptions (11) and giveaways (14). In some instances, his sloppiness with the ball has cost the Bills a win, such as their most recent outing, a 24-22 loss to Denver on Monday night in which Allen accounted for three turnovers.
Too often, Allen has ended up at a postgame podium with a look of both defeat and frustration on his face. When asked what went wrong, he's frequently been at a loss.
Given the opportunity to reflect Wednesday, Allen admitted he knows what the problem is. And like Dorsey's termination, it's not a surprise.
“Turnover-wise it’s abysmal when we lose and there’s no secret to that,” Allen said. “We’re not a broken offense, we’re not a broken team. But the splits compared to when we win and when we lose (with turnovers) are massive. Again, that’s on my shoulders. We’ve got to be better; I’ve got to be better.”
Allen has still had moments of greatness in 2023. He and the Bills detonated the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 2, Washington Commanders in Week 3 and Miami Dolphins in Week 4. But since then, Buffalo has struggled to regain its offensive firepower, and after losing two incredibly important defenders in Tre'Davious White and Matt Milano, they're lacking punch on defense, making for an average showings as of late.
Firing Dorsey might have seemed like a proper decision, but it's not guaranteed to fix much of anything.
What it ultimately comes down to is the performance of Allen. The Bills go as he goes, and if he's firing on all cylinders and protecting the football, their chances of victory increase dramatically. He just hasn't done that very well recently.
Still, Allen's teammates haven't lost faith in their quarterback, who is also the cover athlete of the most recent Madden NFL title. A player doesn't ascend to such a status by struggling, and fellow Bills believe he'll find that magic again.
"I wouldn't trade Josh for anybody else in the league, past or future," linebacker Von Miller said Wednesday, via News 4 Buffalo's Nick Veronica. "Any of the greats that ever played the game, I wouldn't trade Josh for any of those guys. His ceiling is something I have never [seen]."
At 5-5, the Bills better figure out their problems quickly before it's too late. They'll hope Allen cleans up his mistakes and gets back on track expeditiously.