Facing QB Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, every defense has the same goal. Contain him. Clearly, that’s much easier said than done.
But that’s Teryl Austin’s puzzle to try and solve. There are different ways to accomplish that. Defenses can rush ultra-conservatively with their ends and make sure Allen can’t float out. They can blitz and contain and constrict, a strategy the Steelers have effectively done against Lamar Jackson. Or they can “spy” Allen with a designated player to follow him sideline to sideline during the play if he looks to escape. All options for Pittsburgh, though Austin cautioned spying might not be the top option.
“The cons? If you’re spying, that means you’re only rushing three guys, and so that gives him a lot of time to move around and find targets,” Austin said of Allen via a team-issued transcript. “Put a little bit more stress on your secondary. I think it also, because you’re only rushing three, there are some escape lanes there and the guy that you have spying better be a bad dude to get Josh down. So, you had better have the right guy that’s looking after him that’s able to get him.”
It’s the same issue with spying Jackson or other ultra-mobile quarterbacks. You’re banking that your defender is the better athlete and player than Allen. In most cases, they’re not. And if the spy can’t make the play, then the quarterback has plenty of room to roam.
Allen isn’t like Jackson in terms of being a quick and shifty open-field runner. But built like a linebacker, Allen’s size and power make him difficult to bring down. In Week 18’s finale against the Miami Dolphins, Allen had an incredible third-and-long run, breaking tackles and falling forward to move the sticks. On the season, Allen found the end zone a whopping 15 times, tied for the most by a quarterback in NFL history with Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, who matched his mark in 2023.
The biggest times to stop Allen are situational. The Bills use the “Tush Push” in short-yardage moments and designed QB draws when they need one to three yards or on the doorstep of the end zone. In those situations, a spy isn’t effective. Pittsburgh will have to win the point of attack to stop Allen from converting.
In more traditional passing situations, the Steelers are likely to mix up their approach. Rushing and blitzing to contain and pressure seems like the best strategy, but it can’t be the only one. There might be moments where the Steelers will rush only three, something they’ve done with more frequency in recent weeks. The bottom line? Allen can’t take over the game. And he often makes his best plays outside of structure and on the move. If he does it Sunday, Pittsburgh’s odds of being one-and-done are high.
