Despite the record-breaking performance, Josh Allen takes responsibility

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — After setting an NFL record by becoming the first player to complete three passing and three rushing touchdowns in a single game, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen took the blame for the 44: His team’s 42-game loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Yes, you read that correctly. Allen, cementing his reputation as an MVP frontrunner, took the blame for his team’s two-point loss Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium.

“I have to make one more play than them, whatever it may be,” Josh Allen told reporters after the game. “So it was another total team defeat, three phases and we felt like we weren’t living up to our standard and that starts with me.”

Allen’s stats are something out of a video game. 22/37, 342 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 117.2.

Wait, let me get to his rushing stats.

10 carries, 82 yards (the most on the team) and three touchdowns. I wasn’t kidding with that statistic in the first paragraph.

Josh Allen becomes the first player in NFL history with 3 pass TDs and 3 rush TDs in a single game @BuffaloBills

— NFL Research (@NFLPlus) December 9, 2024

No one takes losses harder than your quarterback, and Allen has proven that time and time again in those close losses that are often nominated for NFL Game of the Year nominations. What seemed to weigh on him most was the failed one-yard quarterback sneak that forced head coach Sean McDermott to use the first of his three timeouts late in the fourth quarter.

“I have to find a way to get in. I hate losing,” Allen added. “You lose by two points or a hundred points, it doesn’t matter. Offensively, we had to find a way to score points before and after halftime, so we didn’t do our part.”

McDermott commented on his decision to call a timeout rather than line up, make the same play and save it.

“You have two options, and neither is great. “It felt like overall we were a little short of a time where we felt like we could get the ball back and have a real chance to win the game without any timeouts,” McDermott said after the game. “That just felt like our best course of action. Neither is a good choice in this situation. At the end of the day we have to play better overall to get out of situations like this.”

Allowing a team to lose by 44 points almost means losing football games. But behind Allen’s performance on Sunday afternoon, the Bills had a chance late to do the unthinkable and failed.

The same performance led to the Bills setting another record, one they would like to quickly forget.

Josh Allen becomes the first player in NFL history with 3 pass TDs and 3 rush TDs in a single game @BuffaloBills

— NFL Research (@NFLPlus) December 9, 2024

Buffalo is back in action next Sunday on the road against the Detroit Lions. The number one team in the NFC.