Josh Allen's quest to silence the vocal doubters continues its upward ascent.
The Buffalo Bills quarterback set a personal record for the second straight week, throwing for 417 yards and adding four TDs, both career highs, in a 31-28 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Allen got off to a scorching start, tossing two TDs and 249 yards in the first half as the Bills built a 17-10 lead. A Buffalo offensive lull in the second half allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick's Dolphins to fight their way back, taking a 20-17 lead with a shade over 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Allen responded with two 70-plus yard scoring drives, compiling 145 yards and two TDs on the next two Bills possessions to put the game effectively away for Buffalo.
"He's got ice water in his veins, man," Bills coach Sean McDermott said, via Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN. "There's no moment too big for him. That was true from the very start when we got him here, quite honestly."
Allen is the first player in Bills history with at least 400 pass yards and four pass touchdowns in a game in which he did not throw an interception, and he became the first Bills QB with consecutive games with at least 300 pass yards since Drew Bledsoe in Weeks 13 and 14, 2002, per NFL Research. Allen's 729 passing yards in his first two games of the season are the fourth-most in consecutive games by a Bills QB since 1970.
It's not always picture-perfect with Allen, but the strides he's made thus far in Year 3 are palpable. It's undeniable that the QB has gotten better each year.
"I feel like I've always played with a lot of confidence," Allen said, "but as far as knowing our playbook, knowing protections ... the comfortability of the offense, it's really good right now."
The Bills buffered Allen with play-making receivers who can get open and give the QB a good window. Sunday provided more evidence of how that will help Allen move forward in his career. Stefon Diggs caught eight passes for 153 yards and a score, while John Brown added 82 yards on four snags with a TD.
After opening the season with divisional games against teams that should be in the cellar of the AFC East, the schedule picks up next week against the undefeated L.A. Rams.
