Josh Allen is compared to Cam Newton far too often. There are certainly similarities when it comes to their size, running ability, and cannon-like arms, but both Josh and Cam were unicorns in different
ways — making it very difficult to compare the two. That said, there is one area where Allen and Newton’s careers are starting to overlap, and it’s cause for serious concern.
The Bills loss to the Texans on Thursday Night Football was symptomatic of a deep seated problem, and one that Brandon Beane, Sean McDermott, and the rest of the Bills braintrust witnessed first hand with Newton during their time together in Carolina: Mistaking a superstar quarterback’s individual brilliance with the ability to carry a franchise without enough help.
It was an error that manifested itself time, and time again in Carolina with Newton. This pervasive assumption that Newton was the ultimate BandAid for a multitude of offensive woes. The Panthers didn’t do enough to build the offensive line, because it was their belief Newton could simply escape pressure. The front office tried to find receiver help, but not seriously enough — resting on the laurels that Cam could create separation by throwing out of structure. The density of Newton’s star power turned into a black hole. It also led to curious decisions on the defensive side, overloading the front seven at the expense of the secondary, thinking that if the team win the time of possession battle by stopping the run, Newton could out-gun any team in the NFL.
This should all sound a little familiar, because the Bills are repeating the exact same mistakes with Josh Allen, and they need to course correct very quickly to ensure Allen’s career doesn’t follow a same, shortened path to the Panthers’ legend.
There has been significant offensive line regression in Buffalo this season. Dion Dawkins has allowed five sacks this season (63rd among starting tackles), and has given up a woeful nine penalties on the year. O’Cyrus Torrence is grading in the bottom-third of guards, according to Pro Football Focus — while allowing an alarming 22 pressures from right guard. Spencer Brown has been a fantastic run blocker, but a true liability when it comes to pass protection. The only two guys playing to their potential are David Edwards and Connor McGovern, which is nice, but also a major problem when the best players on the OL are at the positions of least impact.
This inconsistency has become something defensive coordinators know how to target. It’s why the Texans were able to register eight sacks on Thursday night, and bracket the effectiveness of Allen scrambling.
There’s also the receiver position, which has become a liability for Buffalo this season. Deciding to stand pat at the trade deadline was a bold choice, and as much as Brandon Beane wants to make snarky comments about fantasy football — the Bills find themselves in the back-end of a season where they should have a lock on the top of the AFC, but simply can’t because they didn’t do enough to improve. Khalil Shakir is not an X-receiver, Keon Coleman has flashes of promise, but he’s still developing as a pro. Far too much pressure is being put on the tight ends to carry the receiving load in Buffalo, and even that’s reminiscent of Cam Newton’s only weapon in Carolina being Greg Olsen as Steve Smith aged.
Offensive issues wouldn’t be as much of the problem if the defense was firing on all cylinders, but they’re just not. Buffalo is 30th against the run this season, which is primarily a factor of being banged up at both safety positions — while the secondary isn’t generating turnovers as they have in years past. The Bills are on pace to record just 11 interceptions in 2025, their fewest since 2019. This all coalesced to have a huge impact on Allen. The Bills are:
- 30th in offensive starting position
- 16th in opposing drives ending in a score
- 16th in points allowed per drive
This is a fundamentally flawed recipe that puts entirely too much pressure on a offense that struggles to generate explosive passing plays. Buffalo is 17th in the NFL this season in average number of plays per drive, which is a marker that shows the team is moving the ball downfield in drips, but not able to break anything long. This is okay, but it definitely won’t allow the Bills to hang with teams in the playoffs who have the potential for explosive plays.
There’s no doubt that the Bills are still a very, very good team — albeit a little weaker than they were a year ago, or even the year before that. Sitting at 7-4 isn’t exactly the time to hit the panic button, especially in a season where every team in the league has been woefully inconsistent. This is more of a case of seeing the train down the tracks, and desperately wanting Buffalo to dodge out of the way.
Three seasons after Cam Newton won the MVP and took the Panthers to the Super Bowl everything collapsed. The groundwork of a struggling offensive line, lack of receivers, and subpar defense became too much to manage. Newton was injured early in 2019 behind Swiss cheese protection — and he was never the same. The odds of history repeating to that degree are slim, but there’s a pervasive feeling that the Bills are making the same mistakes.
Josh Allen is too brilliant, too dynamic, to have his window wasted.
