Josh Allen’s impressive NFL MVP performance this season, marked by his joyful and carefree style of play, is easy for Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins to explain.
“It must be love,” Dawkins said on Wednesday, referring to Allen’s recent engagement to actor and singer Hailee Steinfeld.
“When you’re in this world that we’re in, and a lot of people pulling at you and a lot of sources of ups and downs of a roller coaster, and you have that one stable person that you can rely on and go home and hug and get a laugh no matter what, I think that’s dope,” Dawkins said. “And that’s what I think is going on.”
Allen agreed with this sentiment. “She’s been a huge part. The morale, the support. When I get home, she’s my biggest fan, my biggest supporter. She’s just the best,” Allen told The Associated Press.
Allen and the Bills (11-3) have been playing well for most of this season, and they will host the New England Patriots (3-11) on Sunday. With five games left, Buffalo has already secured its fifth straight AFC East title, defeated AFC-leading Kansas City (13-1), and recently won 48-42 against Detroit (12-2).
What’s interesting is how Allen has elevated his game even more since proposing to Steinfeld on November 22 during the Bills’ bye week.
In the three games since then, Allen has accounted for 14 total touchdowns — seven passing, six rushing, and one receiving from a pass he threw to Amari Cooper, who lateraled the ball back to Allen. It would have been 15 touchdowns if not for a penalty that negated a touchdown pass from Allen to tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Allen’s 37 total touchdowns are tied for the NFL lead with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. On Sunday, he became the first player in NFL history to throw at least three touchdown passes and rush for at least two more in consecutive games.
The Bills have also scored 90 points in their past two games, including a 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and have scored 30 or more points in eight straight games, tying an NFL record set by Denver in 2013.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady joked that he wanted to include some of Allen’s creative plays in practice to show they were part of the game plan. “It would make us look like better coaches,” Brady said.
“But I mean, that’s him, right? He throws passes to himself. And then he can chest pass, and we’ll see what’s next,” he added. “He’s having a lot of fun playing out there. He’s in great control, great command, all the confidence in the world in him, and why not?”
Allen and Steinfeld started their relationship in the spring of 2023, when photos showed them having dinner together in New York City. Since then, Steinfeld, who was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in the 2010 remake of “True Grit,” has become a regular at Bills games. The couple has shared photos of themselves in Paris and hosting a Halloween party.
Without directly mentioning Steinfeld, the 28-year-old Allen acknowledged that he is playing the best football of his seven-year NFL career while also having fun.
“I’m just playing this game, the same game that I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. And that’s kind of what it comes down to,” Allen said. “What I get to do is really fun, and I want to have as much fun as possible.”
Dawkins sees Allen’s positive energy affecting the whole team.
“Everybody’s smiling. We’re not just smiling because it’s Christmas. We’re not just smiling because we’re winning, but because the energy is right,” Dawkins said. “Josh is the head of our football team. When that is right, everything is right.”
