Cam Newton not believing in Josh Allen and Bills hype train despite Buffalo's scintillating start
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills have gotten off to a dominant start to the 2024 season, which has gone against expectations. The defending AFC East champions have shockingly won their first three games despite losing multiple key pieces like Stefon Diggs, TreDavious White, Jordan Poyer, and Micah Hyde.
Their latest win was their best yet, as they destroyed the Jacksonville Jaguars 47-10 on the strength of four passing touchdowns from Allen.
However, former MVP quarterback Cam Newton is still not a believer in the Bills. He explained his stance on his 4th & 1 podcast on Tuesday (starts at 4:38):
"I'm not believing in their hype because I don't think no team has really challenged them yet. Their defense is extremely stiff and stern... I think I'm looking to see does the Buffalo Bills have what it takes to win a shootout. I'm a little iffy on that."
Aside from their blowout of the still-winless Jags, the Bills' other two victories have come against two 1-2 teams in the Arizona Cardinals (34-28) and the Miami Dolphins (31-10).
Josh Allen attributes Bills' recent success to more egalitarian offensive approach
Now, there are some fans who will ask: How have the Bills succeeded without a WR1? According to Josh Allen, that is because he has become fairer in selecting whom he will throw to.
During that aforementioned win vs. the Jaguars, he threw the ball to 10 different receivers. Khalil Shakir caught most of the passes - six for 72 yards and a touchdown - but it still represented a major deviation from when Stefon Diggs would repeatedly demand the ball and dominate the stat sheet with 100-yard games.
Speaking to reporters after the game, he said that this new approach was working:
"It could be (yours) this play. You never know when it’s gonna happen. And that’s the beauty of it, when guys buy into this and really understand, like, ‘I may not get the ball four, five times thrown to me a game, but the one or two times I do, I’m gonna have opportunities to be in the end zone,’" Allen said per Pro Football Talk.
Allen expressed his delight at having a group of receivers who are solely focused on winning over personal stats.
"It’s a fun and wonderful thing when you have a bunch of guys that don’t care about the stats (and) the touchdowns, and I think throughout practice, we’ve just had this mindset of, 'Hey, let’s just do things the right way and find ways to win football games.' That’s what we’re doing right now."
Josh Allen and the Bills face the Baltimore Ravens next on Sunday Night Football. The week after that, they visit Diggs' new home in Houston.