Josh Allen Bengals Pal ‘Discrediting’ Bills QB Development?

Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson is in no way being disrespectful when discussing the growth of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, his former college teammate. But …

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson admitted it’ll be “all love” between him and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen when Monday night’s meeting between their two teams at Paycor Stadium is over. The two played with each other for two seasons in college for the Wyoming Cowboys.

But, on the surface, there wasn’t much individual love as some might expect from Wilson to Allen when the Bengals linebacker discussed the quarterback’s growth during a recent interview with NFL Network. Wilson showed admiration for Allen’s development since entering the league, but admitted it’s a product of the Bills organization.

“He’s a heck of an athlete and I got the upmost respect for him and the way that he’s developed since coming from Wyoming,” Wilson said. “He’s just a much more complete quarterback now than obviously he was when he was at Wyoming and that’s a credit to the Bills organization and what they’ve surrounded him with.”

While the Bills have certainly forged themselves into one of the league’s best teams due to the acquisition of talent through the draft and free agency, it’s not a coincidence that Allen’s arrival to Buffalo lines up with the Bills’ postseason resurgence.

In 2017, the Bills made the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Their appearance to the postseason ended what was the sixth-longest playoff drought in NFL history and the second-longest since 2000.

Allen was drafted by the Bills the following year, as they went 6-10 with him as a rookie But since then, he’s led the team to four straight playoff appearances and three consecutive AFC East titles. It’s the kind of success the franchise has been starving for since losing four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990’s.

Sure, Allen has some elite weapons around him along with some intelligent coaches. But of all people, Wilson isn’t recognizing - or maybe just isn’t admitting - that it’s Allen who has become the savior of a team that the Bengals are looking up to in the standings.

There’s a lot on the line Monday night in Cincinnati, but a classic Josh Allen hurdle over his former teammate could be the most poetic thing of all.

The Bills (12-3) and Bengals (11-4) kickoff at 8:30 p.m. ET.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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