The Buffalo Bills just had their 2019 season end in a devastating way. They blew a 16-0 lead in the Wild Card round against the Houston Texans and ended up losing in overtime. The Bills did get one positive out of this game and it is that they learned that Josh Allen is a franchise quarterback.
It's safe to say, Allen had a strong sophomore campaign. He threw for 3,089 yards and 20 touchdowns with nine interceptions and proved to be a true dual-threat quarterback as he totaled 510 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. The Bills won 10 games this season and look like they will be a team that is around for years to come.
It's expected that Allen will continue to improve in the upcoming seasons. Here are three key issues that he must improve this offseason.
3. Fumbling
The main issue for a young quarterback is always turning the ball over. They are always quick to throw which causes them to have a lot of passes picked off. For Josh Allen, the issue was not interceptions. In stead was putting the ball on the ground at a high rate.
This makes sense because Allen is a runner. A quarterback who runs will typically fumble more than a pocket passer, but there is no excuse. Ball security is key for a ball carrier and Allen fumbled 14 times this season. Fortunately for the Bills, he only lost four but the ball cannot be on the ground that much in 2020.
2. Accuracy
This is a day and age where defenders are not allowed to do much to receivers. The NFL rules heavily favor the offense and leave the defense handcuffed. The completion percentage for a quarterback is more important now than it used to be as all quarterbacks are expected to complete a high percentage of their passes. If their percentage is low, it is a problem.
Josh Allen had six games this season where he completed less than 60% of his passes. His completion percentage for the season was 58.8%. This is something that must be fixed. The Bills added John Brown and Cole Beasley in the offseason, so their receiving core was much improved from 2018. Next season, Allen will work on hitting his receivers on a more consistent basis.
1. Decision Making
Josh Allen is a fearless quarterback who trusts his arm. And why not, he has an absolute cannon. Sometimes, he trusted his arm to a fault this season. In the playoff game, there were many instances where he tried to fit the ball into a tight window or just threw a deep ball up for grabs.
It is up to Allen to make better decisions and up to the coaching staff to reel him in a little. Making better decisions can also help his completion percentage. Allen can make the easy throw instead of trying to squeeze everything in. If Allen makes these adjustments, he will take the next step in the league.
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