Last week, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio waxed poetic about Lamar Jackson, saying the only player comparable to him was Michael Vick. Then on Sunday, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens handed the Dolphins a 56-19 whooping, with the MVP-favorite throwing for five touchdown passes.
Now Fangio compared this week's quarterback opponent to a Hall of Fame legend -- and a man Fangio once worked for.
Everything is on the line in Sunday night's showdown between the Dolphins and Bills, and Fangio believes Buffalo has something truly special in Josh Allen.
"This guy is the new John Elway on steroids," Fangio said, pausing, "and I don't mean he's taking steroids."
If that's the case, what will Allen do to Miami's defense? The Dolphins still rank in the top half of many of the major defensive categories, but the Ravens game was a huge setback. In addition to it being the team's worst defensive performance of the season, the Dolphins also lost pass rusher Bradley Chubb, who had 11 sacks and six forced fumbles, to a season-ending ACL injury.
Allen also torched Miami's defense in the Bills' 48-20 victory back in Week 4 in Buffalo, throwing for 320 yards and four touchdowns on 21 of 25 passing and rushing for an additional score. He's had an up-and-down season overall, throwing a career-high 16 interceptions, and hasn't been at his best throwing the ball in his past four games.
But Allen has run for a career-best 15 touchdowns, including eight in his past five games, and leads the NFL in combined touchdowns passing and rushing with 42.
Because of this dual-threat ability, Fangio believes there's plenty in common between Allen and the former Broncos legend he knows so well. Fangio faced Elway as a defensive coach in his career before Elway later hired Fangio as Denver's head coach in 2019, going 19-30 in three seasons there together.
"(Allen and Elway) are very similar," Fangio said. "Different body types. Different running styles, but (they present) the same problems, for sure. Allen is just a beast of a guy, a physical specimen. Like John Elway was in the mid-80s to the mid-90s …
"(Allen is) just bigger, faster, cannon for an arm, tough. He's a dude."
Sunday night's game is critical for both the Dolphins and Bills. Although Miami has clinched a playoff spot, the AFC East title hasn't been wrapped up. The Bills can still miss the postseason but also could clinch a division title with a win, plus help. Allen is 10-2 versus the Dolphins in his career and 5-1 when going head to head against, last losing in Week 3 of the 2022 season.
Allen also has gone 3-0 against Fangio in his career. He was injured as a rookie in 2018 when the Bills faced Fangio, who then was the Chicago Bears' defensive coordinator, but Allen faced Fangio two other times prior to this season -- and neither went that well. Allen beat Fangio's Broncos twice, in 2019 and 2020, throwing for a combined 544 yards and four TDs and rushing for an additional 89 yards and two scores in those games.
And if Fangio is correct in his assessment of Allen, it might take a Hall Of Fame-caliber game plan to stop him Sunday night.
