Josh Allen has quickly established himself as one of the best quarterbacks currently active in the competition. Though he has faced criticism about his playing style, Allen has been receptive to the feedback and has shown the strength required to work on his weaknesses. It was because of his rough playing style that he once suffered an injury in Week 4 of the 2020 season. Back then, to work and fight through his pain, he took inspiration from NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
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In 2020, the Buffalo Bills were 4-0 for the first time in more than a decade. They reached the milestone because of their star quarterback Josh Allen, who proved that he is among the NFL’s toughest signal callers as he made a quick return from an apparent shoulder injury.
Where did Josh Allen get his trademark toughness from?
Back in 2020, Allen, during an interaction with former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason for NFL on CBS, had revealed that the ‘Mamba mentality,’ inspired him to get back in the groove quicker than ever. He told Boomer that he tried to channelize Kobe’s mentality in order to overcome his physical adversity on the field.
“On my away trips I watch the ‘Muse’ documentary that he(Kobe) did. Just the constant aggression that he had. In the fourth quarter when he got that look and the under-bite going, you knew that he was locked in and he was going to do everything he could to win a game. That mindset … I feel I have, I’m willing to sacrifice my body for the betterment of our team. That will never change about me,” Allen said.
“In the 4th quarter when he got that look and that underbite going, you knew that he was locked in and he was going to do everything that he could to win the game.”@BuffaloBills QB Josh Allen discusses how he implements Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality in his game. pic.twitter.com/EAed6jAEA9
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 3, 2020
During Week 4, the Buffalo Bills were leading 17-6 against the Raiders when Josh Allen, the team’s quarterback, suffered an injury in the second quarter. Despite the setback, Allen managed to complete a remarkable pass to Stefon Diggs before landing heavily on his left shoulder.
Although he briefly left the field, Allen quickly returned to the game and even contributed to running out the clock before halftime. His performance included two touchdowns and an impressive passer rating of 115.8, helping the Bills maintain their undefeated record and secure the top spot in their division. Indeed, channeling Kobe’s mindset massively impacted the QB in a positive way.
Despite being a supreme talent, Allen is yet to achieve Mahomes & Burrow-like success
A day ago, the star QB turned 27. He has played in the league for over five years now and his emergence in the team brought hopes for many that the Bills will finally win a Super Bowl for the first time since 1993. However, a few Bills admirers are starting to get a little anxious.
Patrick Mahomes has reached the Super Bowl three times, while Joe Burrow, the quarterback for the Bengals, has also made it once. On the other hand, Allen is yet to take his team to the finale. There have been several theories around why Allen, despite being a fantastic QB, has struggled to cross the line in big games.
Talking about the same, Mike Florio of the ProFootballTalk suggested that the Bills lack sufficient top-tier talent to support Allen, or perhaps their offensive strategies are failing to fully capitalize on Allen’s exceptional abilities. It is high time for the team to start working toward making beneficial changes in order to have a shot at the Lombardi. As long as Allen is on the team, fans will keep hoping for the Bills to ultimately win the title one day.
