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It was about 35 years ago when the Detroit Pistons began employing The Jordan Rules, a strategy aimed at limiting Michael Jordan by punishing him every time he attacked the basket. To some extent, every great athlete forces opponents to alter game plans to limit their effectiveness. Walk Barry Bonds with runners on-base. Give up lay-ups as opposed to open Stephen Curry three's. Return Roger Federer's serve deep. And now Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen has his own set of rules that opponents are using.
Allen is in the midst of what could end up being his first MVP season as the Bills are one win away from locking themselves into the 2nd seed in the AFC. But there are rumblings that the league's most exciting quarterback, who is armed with a cannon for a right arm and the size and speed to run both through and away from defenders, could be neutralized if defenses could prevent him from doing just one thing, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini:
“How do you stop Josh Allen? The first rule, according to opposing defensive coordinators I spoke with this week: Don’t let him scramble to his right,” Russini writes. “He’s one of the strongest quarterbacks in the NFL, with a potent stiff arm, and when he avoids the rush and escapes to his right, it almost always leads to a big play. Just think back to every Bills highlight you’ve watched.”
Hey, speaking of those highlights…
Even if you can prevent Josh Allen from escaping to his right, he's developed enough over the last few seasons that you can't bank on limiting his effectiveness or forcing him into the sorts of mistakes he once made with regularity. He's cut down his turnovers and has a deep cast of weapons to get the ball too. Because of that, he's as scheme-proof as any quarterback in the league, and may be on the verge of breaking through and bringing the city of Buffalo the Super Bowl title they've been craving for decades.
