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Bills WR Amari Cooper describes what the ‘Josh Allen experience’ is like

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper is new to the 'Josh Allen experience,' but he likes what he's seen thus far.

Kyle Silagyi

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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The ‘Josh Allen experience’ is a phrase that’s long been part of the Western New York vernacular, an expression initially used in jest to illustrate the extreme peaks and valleys that came with watching the 6-foot-5 human rhinoceros but is today used to describe the otherworldly and, at times, unbelievable nature of his play.

There’s simply no other player like him in the modern NFL. He’s as likely to thread the needle over the heads of the defense on an 80-yard bomb as he is to hurdle through or atop them. He’s a one-of-one player, putting this notion on display in the Buffalo Bills’ Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs as he completed 67.5% of his passes, totaled over 300 yards, and found paydirt twice. He almost single-handedly called game late in the fourth quarter, breaking off a 26-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-two to ice the game for Buffalo and hand Kansas City its first loss of the season.

It was simply the latest example of the ‘Josh Allen experience,’ a phenomenon Bills fans have experienced countless times over the past seven years. Week 11 was a new Buffalo pass-catcher's first opportunity to feel the experience firsthand, however, as wide receiver Amari Cooper witnessed his new teammate’s heroics for the first time on Sunday; playing in just his third game with the Bills after being acquired by the Cleveland Browns in mid-October, the 10-year veteran had won his first two games with his new club, but Allen wasn’t forced to take either game over, as he is wont to do.

Related: What Bills QB Josh Allen said about his unbelievable game-sealing TD run vs. Chiefs

Sunday’s clash with the conference-leading Chiefs presented an opportunity for Allen to again cement himself as one of the league’s top players, and Cooper was simply taken aback as he watched his quarterback do so. He spoke about the ‘Josh Allen experience’ after the victory, sounding genuinely happy to have not only witnessed his play, but to help the team win.

“When you’re a kid, man, and you’re dreaming of football, this is the stage that you dream about,” Cooper said. “You don’t really dream about the ends that aren’t meaningful, you’re dreaming about the meaningful games against the best teams. So we were in it. You know, it doesn’t come around that often, especially if you aren’t on a very good team. Any player who has been in this league a long time, most of the guys haven’t always been on good teams, that’s how it swings in this league. 

“To answer your question, the ‘Josh Allen experience,’ with this magnitude, has been phenomenal. Like I said before, he’s a great player. You know the old adage, ‘Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations.’ That’s exactly what he did.”

Cooper finished the game with two receptions for 55 yards, both of his deep completions (of 30 and 25 yards) coming in the first half. He finished the contest as Buffalo’s third-leading pass-catcher behind Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel; the five-time Pro Bowler expressed excitement about being part of an offense in which several play-makers produce after the game, also telling reporters that he felt joy after the Week 11 triumph, an emotion he hasn’t felt after winning a football game in quite some time.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Cooper may not have too many additional opportunities to witness the ‘Josh Allen experience’ firsthand. Buffalo currently sits at 9-2 on the season and figures to be a tough out come the postseason; even if Cooper only has a handful of additional games with Allen as his quarterback in his future, there’s a solid chance they’ll be special.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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