Josh Allen didn’t just play quarterback Sunday night, he orchestrated a 15-minute symphony of chaos and brilliance, and second-year wide receiver Keon Coleman supplied the crescendo that turned a Buffalo Bills 41-40 comeback over the Baltimore Ravens into an instant classic.
After all, it was Coleman who found himself in the perfect spot; right in the middle of the end zone and the soft spot of the Ravens’ zone–on 4th-and-2 with 3:57 remaining, as the Bills trailed 40-25, hauling in an Allen touchdown pass that had deflected off tight end Dawson Knox‘s fingertips at the three-yard line.
The second-year receiver finished the night with a team-high eight catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, as the player Allen targeted a team-high 11 times, signaling a breakout performance early in the season.
In one of the biggest moments of as a big a game as a Week 1 contest can be–against the Super Bowl caliber Ravens, Coleman took a big step in his development while gaining the trust of his MVP quarterback.
Former Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander tells me that he believes Coleman can be the missing piece that elevates Buffalo’s offense to a championship level and helps get the historically tormented franchise across the championship finish line.
“I think Keon is still young in a lot of ways,” Alexander said, during an appearance on the Between The Hashmarks Podcast. “He’s still growing. I think he’s going to be a guy that’s going to come out and do really well.”
The Bills had high hopes for Coleman, chosen in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but his rookie season was underwhelming, with 29 catches for 556 yards and four touchdowns.
But, fully healthy from a hand injury suffered in Week 9 of the 2024 campaign that seemed to plague him, and emerging from the shadow of veteran receiver Khalil Shakir, if Sunday night is any indication, the duo of Allen and Coleman appears ready for takeoff in 2025.
“Allen is the reigning MVP,” Alexander said. “And, I think he’s going to get more consistent week-in and week-out. But, one thing I think that did have me wanting more of, was Keon Coleman.
“I went to training camp this year, and just seeing how dominant he is, I wish they could throw the ball to him every single time. That’s just the type of playmaker he is, because good things happen when the ball is thrown his way.”
If Sunday is any indication, Coleman isn’t just catching passes, he might be the spark that makes Allen’s already balanced and prolific offense unstoppable in 2025.
Josh Allen’s Development Fueling the Bills
Allen was nothing short of spectacular in the Bills’ memorable comeback win.
Passing for 251 yards in the fourth quarter, alone, Allen’s relentlessness fueled Buffalo’s win over the Ravens.
It is Allen’s development and evolution as a quarterback, though, that is powering this era of Bills football that has Buffalo positioned to make a legitimate run at the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
“When he was younger, what did you call him, an electrical storm?” Bills head coach Sean McDermott told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, referencing a phrase I’d borrowed from Todd McShay to describe what watching Allen practice used to look like. “His development, his evolution, he’s really grown, and I think he’s really become a student of the game, a student of the NFL and understanding scheme, and what it takes to win, and what it takes to sustain success in this league week-to-week but also year-to-year, which is also growth.
Allen’s growth should make the Bills optimistic, the supporting cast at McDermott’s disposal, built by general manager Brandon Beane around a generational talent at quarterback might be raising Buffalo’s ceiling loftier than it has ever been.
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