Buffalo Bills: Josh Allen ends the season proving why he is the future of this team

It was the best of times and mostly the worst of times for the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen in 2018. However, ending the season strong means so much more knowing what lies ahead.

The Buffalo Bills won their just sixth game of the 2018 season on Sunday and Josh Allen is the man who helped carry them.

The Buffalo Bills could have been a much better team this season had it not been for Allen getting injured and the defense randomly crumbling at times.

Josh Allen might have not had a perfect season. It was even thwarted by an ill-timed elbow injury that cost him four weeks.

But, on a Sunday afternoon in Western New York, with nothing at all on the line for either team, the Bills put on a good old-fashioned shellack-ing of the Dolphins.

Normally, I would be upset. Normally, Week 17 leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. The Bills could have lost and gotten a better draft pick.

The Bills could have lost and milked it in to get into next year healthy.

But, for the second straight year the Bills end the regular season on a high note.

Last year, the Bills won, also against the Dolphins, in Week 17, to clinch the playoff berth that haunted them for almost two decades.

This year, they end the season showing why they will return to the playoffs, maybe even very soon.

The reason for that is Josh Allen.

The Bills risked it all when they took a playoff roster from last year and gutted it in the offseason.

They risked it all when they decided to trade up twice in the first round this to get the future anchors of their offense and defense in Tremaine Edmunds and Josh Allen.

The Bills risked it all when they decided to start Nathan Peterman in the beginning of the season over their prized rookie.

The Bills risked it all when they decided to start Allen in Week 2.

However, most of those risks didn’t pay off this year. The Bills still ended the season once again with a losing record and playoff-less.

However, the reason to have hope and the reason why this season ending stings so much less than the other ones is Josh Allen.

All year Allen has been the guy.

Just go through our Bills content here at Empire Writes Back and you will see.

Then, last week he threw for more yards in the game than his opponent Tom Brady. Sunday vs he Dolphins, he threw for 224 yards, ran for another 95, and was responsible for five total TDs.

The Buffalo Bills are far from a team that is complete. They are basically an entire offense away from being competitive.

But, who runs the offense? Who is the guy that needs to make the most plays on offense? It is the quarterback and the Bills finally have theirs.

Josh Allen is not a bridge like Tyrod Taylor. Allen is far from the project that EJ Manuel was. He is not Ryan Fitzpatrick.

He is not the short-term solution that was Kyle Orton, Derek Anderson, Matt Barkley.

He is the guy.

I have seen enough.

On Sunday vs the Dolphins, a game where the Bills didn’t even have to do anything, Allen showed up. He led the way. The Bills played better because he was brining it.

For once, there is not this bitter taste in my mouth to end the year. Yeah, the Bills were terrible this year but in a different way.

After a year in which they had to settle for Derek Anderson starting a few games, I’ll even take six wins.

But, instead of ending the game vs the Dolphins in shambles, in a hot mess, Josh Allen went out on top, with glory.

He has now played well in more games than he played bad. Had he had all season, we might be writing a playoff preview instead.

Either way, and trust me I have not said this in a long-time as a Bills fan and even writer for years, bring me more Josh Allen and bring on next year.

The Bills finally have a QB worth being excited about. What a way to end the year. Short of the ultimate goal, but closer than they have ever been to actually achieving it.