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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen wows fans by ‘playing rugby’ in NFL playoffs

Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to the NFL Match between Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 08, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

It seems that former Wales wing Louis Rees-Zammit could slot into the Buffalo Bills’ backfield with a sense of familiarity after quarterback Josh Allen wowed fans by “playing rugby.”

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During the Bills’ divisional round matchup with Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs during the NFL playoffs, Allen sent social media into a frenzy just 30 seconds into the contest.

With their first offensive drive of the contest, the Bills needed some Josh Allen magic to retain possession as they prepared for a 3rd & 17. ‘Rugby’ was that magic.

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      Allen, 27, ran the ball upfield before finding running back Ty Johnson with a backwards pass. It may not have been an underhand pass but rugby fans are praising the move.

      This isn’t the first time that Allen has stunned fans with a rugby-like move against the Chiefs either. Another social media user was blown away by the quarterbacks’ hurdle in 2022.

      That one video generated plenty of chatter online, too, with more than 350 reactions, 47 retweets and 19 comments.

      Looking to avenge last year’s playoff loss to the Chiefs, who went on to win the Super Bowl, Allen has let his actions do the talking as the quarterback led the way for the Bills.

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      Allen had completed all by five pass attempts during the opening half, which saw the Bills’ main man pass for 111 yards.

      But Allen was especially impressive with the run game. Off only eight carries, the quarterback ran for 51 yards and two game-changing touchdowns. The Bills led 17-13 at half-time.

      There’s no denying that plays like this make the Bills a perfect candidate to utilise Louis Rees-Zammitt’s skillset within the NFL.

      The former Wales wing has been released from his rugby duties to pursue an opportunity with the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP).

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      “Gloucester Rugby has been a huge part of my life. From the start at Hartpury College and my first professional rugby contract with Gloucester in 2020, to my Wales and Lions caps; the Club has been central to my development as a player, and I’m so grateful for their support,” Rees-Zammitt said.

      “I will always be very proud of my time at Kingsholm and want to particularly thank the incredible fans who make the Club so special. Also, to my teammates, to George Skivington and Alex Brown, thank you for giving me such special memories and for supporting this next stage of my career.

      “I have had the incredible honour of playing rugby for my country which, as a proud Welshman, I’ve never taken for granted. However, I believe that this is the right time for me to realise another professional goal of playing American football in the US. Those opportunities don’t come around very often.”

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      Comments

      2 Comments
      L
      LE 504 days ago

      What a contrived article. that wasn’t a rugby style pass it just happened to be backwards.

      yes i get it rugby players are going to try out NFL for a couple of season likely fail miserably because the system favours collage players over IPP regardsless of skill or impact and then go back to rugby but stop with the NFL articles for the sake of it

      B
      Bob Marler 501 days ago

      Agreed. Both clips - zip rugby to behold. It’s pretty common for a QB to pass a ball flat or backwards.


      Next we’ll be calling the center a scrum half. Or a hooker.

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      C
      CO 1 hour ago
      Whose ship has sailed before the first All Blacks squad?

      Based on last weekend there should be no Hurricanes loose forwards in the mix, they all seemed poor with the Brumbies once again fantastic at playing and executing as a team. The Hurricanes were also poor in the halves with the ten invisible and Cam Roigard trying to play up tempo, Helter skelter rugby which is what the Brumbies wanted.


      Roigards passing was telegraphic with his running game and sniping non existent, Ratima also appears to be getting metronomic, devoid of flair and his ten went invisible as well.


      If you can't step up at finals then you need to be punished, yes the blues were poor at times this season but they were right on either the last two games when it really matters.


      CWL is a bit larger but both him and Lakai are down on size for an eight and aren't freaks like Savea. Sotutu has to be in the mix and Dalton, but only if they front this Friday night.


      However six is an ongoing issue, Josh Beehre could be an answer to the lack of height in the loose forwards at Allblacks level, his driving try to ice the contest through a decent Chiefs pack was raw determination even with support.


      As for the previous try being ruled out on the flimsiest of technicalities that highlighted everything wrong with the TMO, it wasn't ‘rabbiting’, his knees dropped one after the other and he then brought his shoulders forward to extend and score, big guys can do that, that's why Sotutu has to be in the mix.


      Sititi looked short of a gallop and the Chiefs might be acting a bit too cute with their bench, the coach is saying all the right things but he's in the departure lounge and the signs are there that the Chiefs expected to be the best team in finals simply because they had the best bench.


      They're now under the pump and the winner of this year's super final will almost certainly be whoever wins this Friday in Christchurch.

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