Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Buffalo begin the second half of their season this afternoon with a huge showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. It’s a major test for the Bills, and a chance to show outsiders that their struggles in 2025 are too harshly criticized.
In a pair of early season losses, the Bills looked nothing like the team many have predicted will contend for the Super Bowl at season’s end. Instead, they were a group besieged by injury, and seemingly devoid of talent in too many other places injury left untouched.
For his part, quarterback Josh Allen didn’t play like the reigning NFL MVP, and it’s fair to say he hasn’t except for and since the fourth quarter of Week 1. No matter what the stats tell you, Allen is struggling in ways we haven’t seen since his rookie season.
In the past, Allen has been able to mask a lot of roster deficiencies. That wasn’t the case against the Atlanta Falcons and their top-ranked defense, nor was it true the week before in a loss to the New England Patriots. Allen responded well in Week 8, when Buffalo won 40-9 and defeated the surprising Carolina Panthers. In total, Allen was responsible for three touchdowns (1 passing, 2 rushing).
That said, the truth is that Josh Allen hasn’t played MVP-caliber football often enough in 2025. He’s in a slump, the likes of which the Bills need him to snap out if they’re to chase postseason dreams.
It may seem absurd to suggest such things when Allen’s season looks a lot like past campaigns through seven games. During September, Allen was mostly dialed-in, playing true to his franchise quarterback form and claiming another AFC Offensive Player of the Week award to start the season. But there were signs of struggle on offense.
Then October came and Allen hit a real rut. Allen’s stats over the last three games aren’t all that pretty, but the Bills have also played some challenging defenses. Excuses aside, Allen has thrown five touchdowns and three interceptions in the last three games.
Unfortunately, Buffalo’s roster isn’t built to handle Allen’s off days against top teams. It’s as fatal a flaw as one exists in the NFL. It means that Josh Allen probably has to play perfect or at least near-perfect football for the Bills to win against the best competition.
Next up for Buffalo is the Kansas City Chiefs, who come to town for a massive Week 9 game just as November gets underway. One Bills Drive needs Josh to play like the reigning NFL MVP he is.
Much has been made of Allen’s career during the months of September and October. There are enough folks who believe that he plays really well the first month of every season, only to regress a bit once October hits. Is this really true, or does he bear too much weight for the team’s W-L record? Is Allen set to rocket back up the charts now that November...
