Josh Allen’s career day vaults him into NFL, Bills history books

LARAMIE -- Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes and -- Josh Allen?

The third-year quarterback from Wyoming joined those former NFL MVP's and Super Bowl champions Sunday in some rarified air after throwing for 417 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-28 come-from-behind road victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Allen became just the fourth signal caller in league history to throw for at least 700 yards and toss six touchdowns without an interception in the first two weeks of the season.

He also does stuff like this:

"He's got ice water in his veins, man," Bills coach Sean McDermott told the media postgame. "There's no moment too big for him. That was true from the very start when we got him here, quite honestly."

Allen has had plenty of detractors during his first two professional seasons. Most have centered around his accuracy issues. Those questions may have been answered through the first two games of 2020.

In a Week 1 victory over the Jets, Allen completed 71.7 percent of his throws while also eclipsing the 300-yard passing mark for the first time in his young career. Sunday, the Bills' gunslinger hit 68.6 percent of his passes, finishing 24 of 35 on the afternoon. Accompanying that was a quarterback rating of 147, a 42.4-point jump from opening day.

"I feel like I've always played with a lot of confidence," Allen said, "but as far as knowing our playbook, knowing protections ... the comfortability of the offense, it's really good right now."

Allen wasn't just busy Sunday sliding his name next to some of the greats in league history, he also became the first Buffalo quarterback ever to throw for 400 yards and four touchdowns in a game without an interception. Jim Kelly, Jim Ferguson or Drew Bledsoe never threw for 300-plus yards and at least two touchdowns and zero picks in consecutive games in team history.

Maybe Allen is the only one having fun in 2020? And probably his mother, LaVonne Allen, who caught this gift:

Here are how the rest of the Cowboys in the NFL did in Week 2:

S-Andrew Wingard-Jacksonville Jaguars

Guess who led Jacksonville in solo tackles Sunday? You guessed it, the guy above. Andrew Wingard, who was making his third-career start, finished with nine total stops, seven all by his lonesome in a 33-30 setback against the Titans in Nashville. Not a bad follow up to Wingard's Week 1 performance where he racked up a pair of tackles and picked off his first NFL pass. That came late in the fourth quarter against Philip Rivers. You always remember your first. "I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, I was so excited," Wingard told Jacksonville.com. "That was preparation. That was film study." 

RB-Brian Hill-Atlanta Falcons

Maybe, just maybe, Atlanta should've handed the ball to No. 23 more than three times Sunday in Big D. Why? Simple: The Falcons did that thing again. That Super Bowl clock-management thing. The Falcons jumped out to an early 20-0 lead on the Cowboys. With 7:57 remaining, Atlanta extended its lead to 39-24. Game, right? Wrong. Dallas scored 16 unanswered points, recovered an onside kick that is still loose and nailed the game-winning field goal at the buzzer to win 40-39. Whew. Anyway, Brian Hill has rushed the ball just six times for 26 yards through the first two weeks of the season. Hill has snagged four passes for 19 yards.

DT-Mike Purcell-Denver Broncos

It's been five long, weird, tumultuous seasons since Mike Purcell wrapped up an opposing quarterback and tossed him to the ground like a rag doll. The former Poke did that to Big Ben Roethlisberger Sunday in a 26-21 road loss in Pittsburgh. The last -- and only -- time Purcell has registered a sack in an NFL game was when he wore a 49ers' logo on the side of his helmet back in 2015. Since then he has been a member of the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and the mighty Salt Lake City Stallions of the now defunct Alliance of American Football. Purcell has six tackles through two games for his hometown Denver Broncos, including the one Sunday in the Steel City.

S-Marcus Epps-Philadelphia Eagles

Philly's defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz told nbcsports.com that "Eppsy" was going to get plenty of playing time early on in 2020. He wasn't kidding. Marcus Epps, a former walk-on at UW, has responded with seven tackles, including five in a lopsided 37-19 loss Sunday to the visiting Rams. "(Epps) Came to us in the middle of the year last year," Schwartz told the online source. "We plugged him in some of our dime packages, but we limited what he was asked to do in our defense. He played a lot in the post and the other guys ... But with the whole gaining some experience last year and just adding another year in the same system, from the very first day of training camp not only has he improved mentally - and he's been always good that way - but just understanding and the little intricacies."

S-Tashaun Gipson-Chicago Bears

Coming off a seven-tackle performance in an opening-week road win over the Lions, Tashaun Gipson added two more stops from his strong safety position in a 17-13 victory over the Giants Sunday in the Windy City. That marked the first home game for Gipson in a Bears' uniform after spending the 2019 season in Houston.

C-Chase Roullier-Washington Football Team

Four Washington players combined to carry the ball 23 times for 117 yards Sunday afternoon in the desert. That's an average of more than five yards per carry. Young quarterback Dwayne Haskins also completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. That's the good news. The bad? The Cardinals racked up four sacks and won the game, 30-15.

LB-Mark Nzeocha-San Francisco 49ers

The German-born linebacker has yet to record any stats in 2020.

LB-Cassh Maluia-New England Patriots

Cassh Maluia, a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was called up from the practice squad for a Week 1 home tilt with Miami. He has yet to record any stats.

TE-Jacob Hollister-Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson is throwing passes (52 of 63) and touchdowns (9) to everyone under the sun -- aside from Jacob Hollister. It's early. The former UW standout has just one catch for nine yards so far this season. That came in the opener in Atlanta. Sunday night, Hollister was shutout in a meeting against his former team, the New England Patriots. Seattle got the last laugh, holding on late for the 35-30 victory. Since joining the Seahawks last season, Hollister has 42 catches for 358 yards and three touchdowns.

LB-Logan Wilson-Cincinnati Bengals

The Governor, as he is known around these parts, tallied three tackles in the Bengals opener. Thursday night in Cleveland, Logan Wilson didn't record any stats though he did get in on plenty of passing situations in a 35-30 road loss in Cleveland. The rookie linebacker also played on special teams for Cincinnati.

The Raiders will host the New Orleans tonight in Las Vegas. Raiders' receiver Rico Gafford and former UW teammate Carl Granderson will go head to head. Check back for details about that meeting.