Bills' McDermott Reveals How Josh Allen 'Showed Discipline' vs. Commanders

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has been reluctant to slide throughout his career, but showed greater caution during Sunday's win over the Washington Commanders.

Standing at 6-5 and 237 pounds, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has never been afraid to throw his body around.

As a dynamic runner, Allen routinely uses his size to his advantage to bulldoze smaller defenders. While that does help him gain extra yardage, it also means he's taking far more hits than he, and especially the Bills, would like.

In Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders, though, Allen exercised a bit more caution. He only ran three times, but slid to avoid hits more often than he has in the past. This development came as a delight to Bills coach Sean McDermott, who has been advocating for Allen to slide more.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen runs with the ball in a game against the Washington Commanders

“My eye lit up, too,” McDermott told reporters. “I was very proud of him for doing that. He’s growing. You have to play a certain way without losing your identity.”

Meanwhile, Allen had a more humorous response when asked about his slides after the game.

“There are a few people on this team that owe me some money for sliding," Allen said. "Just a little bit of an incentive there."

While Allen was more cautious on Sunday, he still managed to make some big plays with his feet. On his three carries, he racked up 46 yards and a key touchdown in the fourth quarter.

A little Sunday stroll with @JoshAllenQB.

📺: @CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/aXS3V5viz6

— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 24, 2023

Through three games, Allen hasn't run as much as as one may expect. He has just 12 attempts on the season for an average of just four carries per game. Compare that to last season, when he had 124 carries in 16 games for an average of 7.75 attempts per game.

While his rushing stats may not be as eye-popping as previously, Allen is taking far fewer hits than he has in the past, which is music to the ears for McDermott and the Bills.