Josh Allen On The Run: Should Buffalo Bills Limit QB's Carries?

"We're always trying to evolve -- on the field, off the field, schematically -- and in this case with Josh's running or the amount of times that we run him, we have to continue to evolve.'' - McDermott

Josh Allen's unique combination of athletic talents - he looks and runs like a tight end who just happens to be capable of also leading the NFL in passing - create a unique challenge for a defense.

But there is a risk/reward involved here, as evidenced by Allen’s stellar performance on Thursday night at the Rams in the 31-10 win in Week 1.

And head coach Sean McDermott is aware of it - and has been.

"We're always trying to evolve -- on the field, off the field, schematically -- and in this case with Josh's running or the amount of times that we run him, we have to continue to evolve that way and making sure we're doing right by him by doing right by our team," McDermott said in March. "So, we are going to keep a close eye on that.''

The whole football world had an eye on it on Thursday, and watched as the ..... Allen, a leading MVP candidate, scurried and bullied his way to topping the Bills in rushing with nine carries for 57 yards and a score. (In addition to him going 26-of-33 for 297 yards and three passing touchdowns.) 

The spectacular show of dominance also included a big-boy stiff-arm of a hapless Rams defender ...

JOSH ALLEN pic.twitter.com/KP4E3nQyvr

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) September 9, 2022

But also featured Allen on a read-option near the goal line, a play that saw what seemed like waves and waves of Rams taking legal (but seemingly almost lethal) shots at his head and body.

So McDermott is again hinting at some concern about how often Allen should be running ... maybe especially when the Bills have a hefty edge on the scoreboard.

Allen was still running wild in LA even as held a comfortable 21-point lead.

Can the Bills win without that threat? That's the balance of what Allen and McDermott must figure out together.

As McDermott has said, "The one thing we will never take from Josh is his competitive nature and spirit. So, he's gonna do it when he's gonna do it."

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