Josh Allen carries the Bills with his improvisational skills, covering up for struggling defense

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — With Josh Allen debuting a new TV commercial seemingly every week, the Bills quarterback was recently asked whether he ever took acting lessons.

“Nah,” he responded with a grin. “I’ll just kind of wing it.”

It’s no different in his day job.

Playing in primetime not far from Tinseltown, and with his Hollywood wife Hailee Steinfeld yelling “Go, Josh!” from the SoFi Stadium stands, Allen once again showcased his ability to improvise.

Go, Josh, indeed. He essentially carried the Bills to a 37-34 overtime win over the Rams on Monday night.

He went 12 of 19 for 210 yards with a touchdown and an interception while playing without receivers DJ Moore and Joshua Palmer, and against a Rams defense that took away the deep ball.

And Allen used his legs, lowering his shoulder to absorb contact and finishing with 10 carries for 121 yards and a TD.

The performance put to rest any questions about whether he was playing hurt after rushing for just 24 yards combined over his previous two games.

“Listen, when it’s there, it’s there,” Allen said of his willingness to run. “I don’t want to make a living in that. I understand that. But I do know how much of a backbreaker that can be on a defense when you feel like you’re in a pretty good coverage.”

Allen’s competitive drive and athletic ability have made the Bills a perennial contender, with playoff appearances in each of the past seven seasons, although he has yet to reach a Super Bowl.

He has transformed Buffalo’s offense. The Bills were 0-30 when allowing 30 or more points from 2012 to 2018, Allen’s rookie season. Since then, Buffalo is 10-11 in such games.

The question for Buffalo is how much of the load Allen must carry to compensate for his team’s flaws, ranging from running back James Cook’s ball-security issues — he’s fumbled four times this season, losing two — and a new-look defense that ranks among the NFL’s worst in various categories.

On Monday, Allen got help from Greg Rousseau blocking a would-be game-winning field-goal in overtime, and Cook rushing for 111 yards and two touchdowns.

But with the outcome in the balance, it was Allen who took off on back-to-back runs of 19 and 13 yards to set up Tyler Bass’ game-ending 45-yard field goal.

Buffalo improved to 4-1, shaking off a loss to New England. And Allen upped his career record to 92-40, tied with Peyton Manning and trailing only Russell Wilson (98) and Patrick Mahomes (95) for wins through a player’s first nine seasons.

Mahomes, Wilson and Manning, however, each have at least one Super Bowl ring.

As Allen acknowledged after the win, the Bills have plenty to clean up if they expect to return in February to SoFi Stadium, the site of this season’s Super Bowl.

What’s working

Buffalo leads the NFL in yards per play at 6.7 and is tied for first with Detroit with 161 points.

What needs help

Buffalo ranks 30th in the NFL yards allowed at 1,943. The Bills are 31st in red-zone scoring defense and 31st in fourth-down defense. Opponents have converted 8 of 9 fourth-down attempts (88.9%), with only Tennessee faring worse by allowing conversions on 4 of 4 fourth downs.

Stock up

RB Ty Johnson. After missing the first two games with a hamstring injury, the eighth-year player has capably filled a third-down pass-catching role. He has 10 catches for 131 yards, six of them for a first down.

Stock down

CB Max Hairston. After averaging 61 plays while starting the first four games, the second-year player was benched in favor of rookie Davison Igbinosun, who got his first career start. Hairston played 17 snaps against the Rams after struggling against New England. He later apologized for snubbing reporters after that game.

Injuries

RT Spencer Brown suffered a back injury. His status is uncertain after missing one game with a shoulder injury.

Key number

3 — Buffalo became the third team since 1991 to win when allowing 33 or more first downs and not forcing a turnover.

Next steps

The Bills are staying in Southern California as they prepare on a short week to play at Las Vegas on Sunday.

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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow contributed to this report.

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