Against the New England Patriots, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills delivers probably the best game of his career. After the game, the superstar is showered with praise – and finally becomes a symbol of hope in Buffalo.

Munich – “Ladies and Gentlemen. Josh Allen has left the building!”

That or something like it could have been an announcement at the Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium on Saturday night. The Bills’ fans couldn’t contain themselves after their team’s stunning 47-17 win over the New England Patriots.

Despite temperatures in the minus range and an early decision in the game, they stayed until the end and celebrated their team frenetically. The focus was once again on quarterback Josh Allen, who delivered one of his best games in a Bills jersey.

Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen with historic numbers

A quick look at the bare numbers shows that Allen delivered one of the most dominant playoff games by a quarterback in NFL history against the Patriots. With 306 passing yards and five touchdowns thrown, he carved up the defence through the air at will.

A passer rating of 157.6 – the fifth highest in playoff history – is also a testament to incredible efficiency. With just four incompletions, he failed to deliver fewer balls to the man than he did to find his teammates in the end zone for a touchdown.

In addition, he repeatedly provided a new first down with short runs. In the end, he had 66 additional rushing yards. His patience was particularly impressive. Like an absolute elite quarterback, he never let himself get rattled and always found a solution.

This was also the case before the first touchdown of the game by tight end Dawson Knox, when Allen waited calmly until a suitable pick-up station presented itself.

Knox was also speechless after the game about Allen’s extraordinary pass: “I think what we saw there speaks for itself,” he said at the press conference.

Buffalo Bills: Allen and Co. learn from mistakes

The question before the game was really how the Bills would handle the difficult weather conditions. The two teams met back in Week 13 when it was windy in Buffalo, making normal play nearly impossible.

While the Patriots gave up only three pass attempts in the entire game and relied exclusively on the running game, Allen and Co. could hardly find their way into the game. In the end, the Bills lost the game 10:14 – and Allen delivered one of his worst games of the current season.

It is all the more astonishing how confidently the 25-year-old has now performed in the Wild Card round. Head coach Sean McDermott also praised the learning effect of his star: “It’s always fun to see young players develop,” said the successful Bills coach.

This effect was particularly noticeable with Allen: “Taking on more responsibility and his preparation this week led to what we saw from him on the field today. There’s little room for any other interpretation here,” McDermott continued.

Josh Allen as leader – Where are the Bills headed?

In four playoff games so far leading up to the Patriots clash, Allen stood at a playoff record of two wins and two losses. While he failed to make the Wild Card round in 2019 against the Houston Texans, he led the Bills to the Championship Game last season, which they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen and Co. may have a chance for revenge as early as next weekend. If the Chiefs win their home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, the Bills would have to travel to Kansas City in the Divisional Round.

After the gala against the Patriots, however, the omens have changed. The Bills have sent a warning to the entire league. They are definitely a force to be reckoned with this year. However, leader Allen, who by now has the whole team under his spell, wants nothing to do with pressure.

“If you go into every game with a do-or-die mentality, it gets the last few percentages more out of every player. That’s what we’ve been doing for weeks,” the signal caller said after the game. “It can be over any second, that’s why we play better under these circumstances. We need the same mentality now this week,” he concluded.

If Allen can continue to carry his team in the coming games, the Bills can only be stopped by a few teams in the AFC. If the quarterback delivers like he did against the Pats, Buffalo could be in line for a big win this season.