Why Trash-Talking Josh Allen Is a Terrible Idea
Let’s get one thing straight: if your team’s game plan involves getting in Josh Allen’s face, you’ve already lost. It’s like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Sure, it’s a bold strategy, but you’re just going to get burned. For some reason, opposing players haven’t quite figured this out yet. The latest to learn this lesson was the Pittsburgh Steelers.
During the Bills’ 26-7 demolition of the Steelers, defensive tackle Cam Heyward decided it would be a brilliant idea to get into a scuffle with Allen. The two got into it, exchanged some not-so-pleasant words, and then promptly blamed each other after the game like kids fighting over the last cookie. It was all very dramatic and entirely predictable. What did Heyward think was going to happen? That Allen would just shrink away and forget how to throw a football? Spoiler alert: that’s not what happened.
The whole thing was so painfully obvious that Kay Adams couldn’t help but point it out on her show, “Up & Adams.” While chatting with Bills cornerback Christian Benford, she basically spelled it out for anyone who still didn’t get it. “I was watching this happen between him and Cam Heyward,” she said, “and I’m just like, ‘You are literally turning up the heat on Josh.’ Josh eats this for breakfast, like he likes this kind of trash talk.”
Exactly. Poking the bear that is Josh Allen doesn’t make him back down; it just makes him angry. And an angry Allen is the last thing any defense wants to see.
What Happens When You Get Allen Fired Up?
When opponents try to get under Allen’s skin, something flips. It’s like he taps into this reserve of pure, unadulterated “I’m-going-to-make-you-regret-that” energy. All the composure and pocket presence he’s so carefully cultivated gets blended with a raw, almost reckless aggression. Suddenly, he’s not just a quarterback; he’s a one-man wrecking crew on a mission.
Kay Adams hit the nail on the head when she described the social media reaction to the scuffle. The consensus was clear: if you want to beat the Bills, maybe try being nice to Allen for a change. “I think that there’s definitely an idea out there on Twitter, like, ‘Bengals, shut up. Bengals, you want to get a win here? Tell him you like his hair. Tell him you like his shoes… Don’t get in Josh’s face. That’s just like, it just makes him wild.’”
It’s almost comical, isn’t it? The best strategy against one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks in the league is to compliment his grooming habits. It sounds absurd, but based on the evidence, it might be the only thing that works. Try to intimidate him, and you’ll just unleash the version of Allen that stiff-arms linebackers and hurdles safeties for fun.
Why the Bills’ Hopes Rest on Allen’s Shoulders
Look, the Bills haven’t exactly been a model of consistency lately. They’ve dropped a couple of games, the defense has looked vulnerable, and the passing game has had its hiccups. They were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders, but those hopes have been wavering.
Even Bills legend Jim Kelly seems a bit unsure. “I am not 100% sure,” Kelly admitted. “We played good, and in some things we don’t. I really don’t know at this point.” But he quickly followed up with the one thing that gives every Bills fan a glimmer of hope: “As long as we have number 17 on the field, I think we have a great chance.”
And that’s the bottom line. The Bills will go as far as Josh Allen can carry them. When he’s on his game, they look unstoppable. But when opponents light a fire under him with trash talk and cheap shots, he elevates to a whole other level. He becomes the guy who will single-handedly drag his team to victory out of sheer spite.
So, to the Cincinnati Bengals and every other team left on Buffalo’s schedule: you’ve been warned. You can try to get in Allen’s head, but you’ll probably just awaken the beast. Or, you could take the road less traveled. Tell him his cleats look great. Ask about his Thanksgiving. Whatever you do, just don’t make him angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.
Lions’ Dan Campbell points finger at himself after brutal loss to Vikings
As there were rumors around the Detroit Lions regarding the trade deadline and the moves that could be made, the team would lose against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, 27-24, before any changes could take effect. Lions head coach Dan Campbell would have a brutally honest assessment regarding the tough loss, most holding themselves accountable when speaking to the media.
After the contest, Campbell would point the finger at himself, highlighting many areas of the game that were not effective, saying that it falls on the head coach to clean it up. One facet he mentioned was the number of penalties as Detroit recorded 10 in the game that cost the team 76 yards.
“We did everything we needed to do to lose that game,” Campbell said, according to Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “We made every critical area you need to at the right time to lose it, a perfect storm. You know, when you don’t play well in all three phases, that falls on the head coach. That’s me. So I did not have them ready coming out of the bye. You know, we weren’t; we made too many critical errors. Man, some of our discipline and penalties caught up to us. We just, and there were some things we were out of sync. We’d never looked comfortable.”
Dan Campbell on the mistakes of the Lions
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Looking at the offensive side of the ball, which gets a lot of attention, the Lions’ explosive running back duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for only 65 yards. That is no doubt an eye-sore for the team to look at later, as well as the passing game, though Jared Goff threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns.
“We just didn’t make enough plays, you know. We had multiple opportunities to set ourselves up to have a chance to win that game, and we made none of theM, really,” Campbell said. “So that’s, you know, I’m going to clean some stuff up so…and we will, I will. We did have some guys that played pretty well, but it was just too much.”
“The penalties, you know, the turnovers in inopportune times,” Campbell continued. “Really, really bit us there, you know, defense gets put in us in tough spots. I mean, but again, we expect our defense to get stops, a sudden change. We just did not handle the day well.”
At any rate, Detroit now is at a 5-3 record, looking to bounce back against the Washington Commanders next Sunday.
