Josh Allen is fresh off making NFL history in Buffalo's 37-34 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5. He became the first quarterback to average 10-plus yards per pass attempt (11.1) and 10 yards per carry (12.1), and he stuffed the statsheet with 210 yards passing 121 yards rushing and two total touchdowns. So what will he do in the Bills' (3-2) return to action the Raiders?
That depends on the success rate he has when Buffalo runs their deadly under-center play action game, featuring himself and James Cook, against five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby. Entering Week 6, Allen is utilizing under-center play action on 25.5% of his dropbacks in 2026, the second-highest rate in the NFL, trailing only Sam Darnold (25.5%), according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. On those plays, Allen is completing 64.5% of his throws, just below the league average rate of 65.2%, while averaging 9.0 yards per attempt, the eighth-most in the NFL.
The greater danger arises when he takes matters into his own hands with his legs. When he has tucked the ball and run, Allen has scrambled six times for 65 yards and a touchdown. When combining the passing and the rushing, Allen has a 57.1% success rate on under-center play-action dropbacks, the fifth-highest in the NFL entering Week 6, per the league's Next Gen Stats.
How has the Raiders' defense handled defending under-center play-action this season? Not great, allowing a 75% completion percentage (15 of 20) and two touchdowns on under-center play-action passes while giving a single scramble for 36 yards (fifth-most allowed on such scrambles. So, how can Las Vegas tilt the scale back in its favor?
Turning up the heat with the blitz. Allen has been around league average overall when blitzed this season, with a 93.2 passer rating against the blitz, 15th in the NFL. When blitzed in under center play-action scenarios, the efficiency is relatively the same among his peers: Allen has a 115.5 passer rating, which ranks 13th in the league.
The problem is the Raiders' defense is using a standard four-man pass rush on 76.6% of opponents' dropbacks this season, the second-highest rate in the league, while creating a 32.2% pressure rate when sending four or fewer, just under the average around the NFL entering Week 6 (33.1%), according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. When they actually blitz, their pressure rate increases to 63.4%, the highest in the NFL, per TruMedia. Las Vegas defensive coordinator Rob Leonard breaking his tendencies and channeling his inner Brian Flores will be crucial come Sunday.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
