Josh Allen can turn a broken play into a highlight before a defender has time to react. But what happens when the best play is the simple one sitting right in front of him? During Monday Night Football, former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning spotted a moment when Buffalo’s star quarterback appeared to have an easier option available. And his advice was pretty straightforward: sometimes, the spectacular play can wait.
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On ManningCast, the alternate ESPN broadcast hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning, Eli pointed to a third-and-seven play against the Los Angeles Rams and questioned why Allen did not take the quick pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman.
“Peyton, I think sometimes, I mean, you will kind of see this; sometimes Josh, he has guys open. He don’t always throw it. You know, he kind of has the quick out right here to the right to Coleman. You know, it’s third and seven; you can throw that, and he can turn up and get the first down. Sometimes, because he has such the ability to scramble and make plays, he kind of won’t always take the open guy,” Manning said on the show.
Allen’s legs have bailed him out of plenty of tight spots, but Manning wanted him to trust his arm on this one, which could have helped him avoid a sack in the first quarter. Coleman was available for a quick throw on third-and-seven, but Allen waited to find a deeper target instead. Why make the play harder than it needs to be when a simple pass could have helped the Bills move the chains?
This is not the first time Allen’s preference for making bigger plays has come up. Back in 2020, the quarterback pushed back against the idea that he should simply become a checkdown passer.
“I’m not going to be Captain Checkdown,” Allen said. “I’m going to continue to play the game the way I love it.”
At the time, NFL.com reported that Allen had attempted very few checkdowns compared with other qualifying quarterbacks, including just one on 245 third-down attempts in the cited two-season sample. The numbers were from that period, not his current season, but they help explain why the discussion around his decision-making is not new.
Allen has also acknowledged the need to improve his choices when a play does not develop as hoped. After Buffalo’s 2025 loss to Philadelphia, he said, “I didn’t make that last play,” taking responsibility for the decisive moment.
There is a reason Allen trusts his instincts. He is a dual-threat quarterback who can punish defenses with his legs as well as his arm, and that ability has made him one of the NFL’s most dangerous playmakers. But the line between extending a play and passing up an easier option can be thin. Manning was arguing that knowing when not to improvise is part of being an elite quarterback.
Allen finished with 12 completions on 19 attempts for 210 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also made a major impact on the ground, rushing 10 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills walked away from Los Angeles with a 37-34 overtime win, but Manning’s on-the-spot analysis provided viewers one more moment to relive after the final whistle. His comment that Coleman was open took what was just another third-down decision and made it a talking point, shifting the focus to a split-second decision that otherwise would have been ignored.