‘Josh Allen has shown he’s a special player’

Emmanuel Sanders joked this week he often has to tell Brian Daboll to “go to sleep!” when the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator calls him in the evening to describe a new play he had just drawn up for the wide receiver.

It’s the kind of commitment, enthusiasm and attention to detail that will land Daboll an NFL head coaching job in the not so distant future, and why he has been so instrumental in the development of quarterback Josh Allen.

Led by Allen, Daboll’s offense enters Monday night’s clash with the Tennessee Titans ranked first in the league in scoring and fifth overall while yet to hit top form this season.

“It starts at the quarterback position,” Sanders told reporters. “We’ve got a talented quarterback, we’ve got a guy who is smart, a guy with a big arm, a guy who can extend plays, a guy that obviously when you’re a defensive coordinator you’ve got to scheme it up.

“I think we’ve got a great offensive coordinator, he knows how to dial it up, him and Josh have great chemistry. I’ve FaceTimed more with him than I have with any other coach in my career, he will be in a hot tub and just FaceTime me randomly, and me and him will catch up for like five minutes. I think he and Josh’s chemistry is amazing.

“When they’re operating together, they’re usually on the same page. (General manager) Brandon Beane and Coach (Sean) McDermott have done a great job of bringing in the right guys around Josh.”

Allen has gone 114 of 183 passing (62.3 per cent) for 1,370 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions as well as rushing for 188 yards and two scores across Buffalo’s 4-1 start to the campaign.

He reminded all of why he entered the season among the MVP candidates in Week Five when he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns alongside a rushing touchdown to lead the Bills to a 38-20 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in revenge for last year’s AFC Championship Game defeat.

The fifth-year quarterback added to his highlight reel in the process with a stunning fourth-quarter hurdle over L’Jarius Sneed to convert a third-and-four in the fourth quarter, extending an eventual 12-play, 85-yard drive that ended in Sanders’s decisive touchdown.

“I said to him I’m about to get rid of my Jordans and go get some Air Allen shoes,” said Sanders. “That drive right there was crucial and really showed me who he was, you want to talk about a guy that has that Mamba mentality, just like ‘whatever I’ve got to do to go down and score on this drive to put the game away’, you saw that in him on that drive.

“He took matters into his own hands, even on third down when he jumped over that guy. It goes to show what type of guy he is, he’s a special player.”

Victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs comes with a welcome caveat when it comes to not losing sight of the big picture.

It’s the message a player of Sanders’ experience and success has been pushing during the build-up to Buffalo’s trip to Nashville.

“That’s the challenge,” he added. “We beat the Chiefs on the road, then we have a bye week coming up so that’s the narrative, everybody has to stay focused, we have another tough game, we’ve got to go play another great team in the Titans in Monday Night Football, on the road and who knows, it might be hostile or not. That’s the test.

“We’ve got to think about where we want to be at the end of the season, so stay locked in and stay focused. From a team standpoint, coach McDermott does a great job of allowing guys to speak to the team, speak on leadership and just from hearing everybody speak and talk, I feel like we’ve got grown men on this team so I feel like everybody is locked in on the game.

“I feel like everybody is talking, everybody has been keeping perspective.”

One of few blemishes on the Bills’ 2020 season came in the form of a 42-16 defeat to Tennessee in Week Five, during which Ryan Tannehill threw for three touchdowns and ran in for another while Buffalo hindered themselves with three turnovers.

“I feel like it’s the same narrative as last week versus the Chiefs,” Sanders continued. “That loss last year didn’t hurt as bad as the Chiefs but people still remember it so obviously we reviewed that film, talked about that game and how we can get better.”

The Titans arrive 3-2 and top of the AFC South on the back of a 37-19 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars that saw Derrick Henry rush for 130 yards and three touchdowns.

Mike Vrabel’s side are set to be boosted by the return of wide receiver Julio Jones following his two-game absence due to a hamstring problem, while AJ Brown was listed as questionable in the build-up because of illness.

Watch the Buffalo Bills at the Tennessee Titans in Monday Night Football live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Tuesday morning.