Rams' Sean McVay Reveals Biggest Fear Facing Bills' Josh Allen

Allen and the Bills are aiming for a season-opening statement win Thursday.

© Rich Barnes, USA TODAY

The ad-libbing athleticism of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the challenges facing the defending champion Los Angeles Rams in Thursday's season-opener at SoFi Stadium. It's one of the reasons that Rams coach Sean McVay could be losing sleep as the game approaches, though he likely won't admit it. 

But McVay did allow that Allen's unpredictable nature can bring about some scary moments as a head coach. The 26-year-old has become one of the league's premier dual-threat signal-callers as he begins what should be a MVP-caliber season. 

McVay detailed over the weekend how the Rams defensive front - which features the talent of guys like Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner, Leonard Floyd, and Ernest Jones - will have their hands full trying to stop the "scary" ability of Allen. 

"Those are the scariest things is when you have a quarterback that when everything's right and in rhythm he's basically automatic, but then he can also beat you off-schedule," McVay said. "Those scramble plays where he's able to create what's typically a three or a four-second play into sometimes an eight or nine second (play). That ends up being a really great challenge, but we've got to do a great job up front."

The Rams did a relatively solid job of limiting Allen's running ability when the Bills and Rams faced off in Week 3 of 2020. Buffalo won, 35-32, but Allen was sacked four times and had just four carries for eight yards and a one-yard touchdown run. 

The Bills nearly blew a 25-point lead in the win, but it was Allen who threw the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds remaining. McVay recalled the game and Allen's performance leading up to it in the two weeks prior. 

"I'll tell you what, I think he was just really bursting onto the scene," McVay said, He had played incredible in those first two weeks and really he sustained that momentum and played even better. You can see the game slowing down ... just the overall athleticism when things go off schedule."

Allen now returns to his home state of California for the season opener, adding even more motivation to a 2022 campaign for a fiery Bills team that is still feeling the effects of last season's heart-breaking AFC Divisional loss. 

The on-field battles between Allen and the Rams Thursday could make for some must-watch entertainment and potentially another exciting finish after Buffalo's thrilling win over LA in 2020. 

But from one of the league's best coaches to one of its best quarterbacks, the love remains at an all-time high - even if it may not seem that way once the 2022 season-opener gets underway. 

"He's one of the best," McVay said. "I got tremendous respect for Josh.”