Josh Allen Criticized for Flop and Late-Interception in Bills' Loss to Patriots
Buffalo's star quarterback faces scrutiny for a perceived attempt to draw a penalty and a costly turnover in the team's Week 4 defeat.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is facing criticism following the team's 29-26 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. The performance, which saw Allen throw a crucial late-game interception and engage in a controversial play, has tempered early MVP discussions.
Former Patriots running back Damian Harris pointed to Allen's turnover issues, which reappeared in Week 4 after a clean start to the season. Allen committed four turnovers against the Patriots, a stark contrast to the zero turnovers in the first two weeks. This brings his total to three interceptions and one fumble lost in his last two games.
"Josh Allen wins them a ton of football games. He also loses them a couple of football games that they should won," Harris stated on the CBS postgame show. "We saw this in the division round against the Broncos last year. The turnovers that ultimately cost them a chance to win that game and move on in the playoffs. Now we’re still seeing the past two games, especially, the turnovers start to creep up for Josh Allen again."
Harris added, "We know when Josh Allen starts to turn the football over, this Buffalo Bills offense doesn’t work, and this team doesn’t win because this team is built to play from ahead."
One play that drew particular attention occurred with 13:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. Allen, after being nudged by Patriots defender Dre’Mont Jones, appeared to dramatically flop his arms in an attempt to draw an unnecessary roughness penalty. The referees did not call the penalty, and the play was widely mocked on social media.
Later in the game, with the Bills trailing by three points and 1:14 left on the clock, Allen threw an interception into double coverage while attempting a pass to Joshua Palmer. The turnover occurred on a second-and-six play from the Bills' own 40-yard line, a spot from which they were in range for a potential game-tying field goal.
Turnovers have historically been a challenge for Allen, contributing to the Bills' playoff exits in previous seasons. In the AFC Divisional Round loss to the Broncos last year, Allen had four turnovers, including a fumble. His most turnover-prone season was 2023, with 18 interceptions and four lost fumbles.
The Bills, now 2-2 on the season, face a difficult upcoming schedule, including a matchup against the Super Bowl favorite Rams. They will need to address their turnover issues to improve their performance.