Patriots' Carlton Davis III explains how Bills' Josh Allen plays 'real football'
Star quarterback Josh Allen will guide the 4-0 Buffalo Bills into the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" showdown versus the 2-2 New England Patriots that will take place at Buffalo's Highmark Stadium.
While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Patriots cornerback Carlton Davis III addressed Allen's unique playing style that helped him become the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player.
Josh Allen playing "real football" gives defenses a tough challenge
"It’s really like — that’s real football," Davis said about how Allen uses his legs to keep plays alive and pick up key first downs, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "Nothing is schemed up. It’s not anything that you’re game-planning. He’s just out there playing backyard football. I don’t want to downplay it, but it’s real football."
The StatMuse website shows that Allen heads into the weekend ranked third in the NFL with a combined 10 rushing and passing touchdowns. He's also fifth in the league with a combined 1,123 passing and rushing yards.
According to Pro Football Reference, Allen entered Friday ranked fifth in the league among qualified players with an 81.3 adjusted QBR and fourth with a 109.7 passer rating for the season. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Allen as the overall betting favorite at +100 odds to claim the MVP Award for the ongoing campaign.
Why Carlton Davis III is hyped for Buffalo Bills game
The Bills have won the AFC East division title for five straight seasons. That dominant run is one reason Davis can't wait for Sunday night's matchup.
"That’s the best thing about it," Davis explained. "That’s the best part. Because once you knock them off, there’s so much momentum behind that. So much hype comes with that. That’s why you play that game. To beat the best. Compete against the best. So that’s the beauty of this week, and I know the guys in here are prepared for it."
No offense to Davis, but many don't give New England much of a chance to knock Buffalo off. On Friday, ESPN BET had the Bills as 7.5-point favorites for the prime-time contest.
"It’s about to be so fun, bro. It’s about to be a movie," Davis added. "For real. It’s about to be nice. It’s about to be lit. 'Sunday Night Football.' Division game, and they’ve been running the division the last couple years. So it’s going to be fun to go out there and compete."
Ex-Steelers OC Todd Haley Explains Why He Thought Drafting Patrick Mahomes Would've Been A 'Waste'
The Pittsburgh Steelers have still not come up with an adequate succession plan for Ben Roethlisberger, even though he retired four years ago. The resurgence of Aaron Rodgers in 2025 has been noteworthy, but he is still a short-term option. The best-case scenario is that he could maybe come back to the team in 2026 and mentor whoever Pittsburgh drafts that year. At this point, nothing is certain, and the only hope right now is that the 41-year-old gives everything he has left to secure some sort of success beyond a nine-win season.
The Steelers were repeatedly blasted for not having any sort of succession plan for Roethlisberger even back when he was on the team. During an interview with Gambling Industry News
"When you feel like your team is really close, and you have a big-time quarterback, which Ben was – he was at the peak of his career during that stretch – it’s hard," Haley explained. "No. 1, you’re usually picking at the end of the draft because you’re good. And No. 2, to use one of those picks on a succession plan, it’s really hard to do. That one guy – T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, whoever you draft – might be the guy that gets you over the hump. Everybody’s goal is to win the Super Bowl, but we know the Steelers. That is the true standard."
There is no denying that the Steelers' offense in the mid-2010s was electric. There is also no denying that the defense was rebuilding after the legendary 2000s unit had all retired or regressed heavily. Of course, the front office would be more concerned with the side of the ball that was actively holding the team back and lowering its ceiling. Pittsburgh did its due diligence, however.
Haley continued on by giving 2017 as a perfect example, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes still being draft eligible then.
"We talked about it. We’d have Mahomes and those guys in for visits," Haley said. "As offensive coaches, we all loved him. But you’ve got to make that decision. Are we going to have a guy for the future and waste a No. 1 pick essentially by not giving another part of the team a piece that is desperately needed?"
The Steelers had just come off a loss in the AFC Championship game, so they thought they were close. Why would they not only use their first-round pick on a quarterback, but trade up and give away lots of other potential pieces to build on a squad that thinks that its championship window is still open? That was the Steelers' mindset, so while everyone in the building loved Mahomes, they had no interest in paying up to get him.
The Kansas City Chiefs gave up the 27th overall pick, their third-round pick that year, and a 2018 first-round pick to move up to pick 10 and select Mahomes. The Steelers likely would have had to add a bit more to do the trade themselves if they wanted to draft him. That would have resulted in them being unable to draft superstar edge rusher TJ Watt, among other players.
Steelers Had To Deal With Double-Edged Sword
Starting in the 2019 season, it seemed like the Steelers were just a quarterback away from contending. However, a lot of that was due to Watt's impact on the defense. Having Mahomes would have been nice, but that defense would most likely be nothing like the one we've seen in the past six seasons if #90 was not in Black and Gold. Some would say it's worth it, and maybe they're right. In the end, all we can do is speculate.
