ORCHARD PARK - There is something really weird going on with the Buffalo Bills at the start of 2024: Josh Allen has turned into a game manager.

OK, that’s a bit hyperbolic because that’s not at all what Allen is, but his statistical profile during Buffalo’s 2-0 start is certainly a departure from what we’re used to seeing from the megastar quarterback.

“If you’re focused on stats it’s frustrating,” Allen said Wednesday when he was asked about the low passing numbers he has compiled. “In terms of winning football games, it’s not. It’s just whatever helps us move the ball and score when it matters. That’s all we’re caring about right now.”

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Which, of course, has always been Allen’s priority, even when he was putting up four consecutive 4,000-yard passing seasons between 2020 and 2023. He truly does not care about his numbers, as long as he walks off the field with a smile on his face.

Josh Allen statistics heading into NFL Week 3

Allen entered Week 3, which will wrap up on Monday night when the Bills host the Jacksonville Jaguars, ranked 22nd in the NFL in passing yards (371), 23rd in completions (31) and 21st in first downs via the pass (16).

Part of the reason for the numbers was the unusual game script in Miami, where the Bills had four possessions that started inside Miami territory thanks to the stellar play of their defense; they lost a possession when rather than punting, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa threw a pick-six to Ja’Marcus Ingram; and they had a one-play drive when James Cook ran 49 yards to the house on the first play after a turnover on downs.

The Bills offense was on the field only 23 minutes, 41 seconds, they ran only 45 offensive plays, and for most of the second half - already up 31-10 - they were essentially just trying to get the game over.

“I think given our situation last week when we’re running it as well as we are and you get the ball in really good field position throughout the entire game, that’s just kind’ve the game it’s gonna be,” Allen said of his 139-yard passing output. “I don’t know if I’d say weird, but I think it feels pretty good being able to hand the ball off to James and Ray (Davis) and let them go do some work. If it’s working, keep calling it.”

Which is what offensive coordinator Joe Brady knew. There was no reason for Allen to chuck the ball all over Hard Rock Stadium because the game was well in hand.

Buffalo Bills are finding 'different ways to win'

“It was really complimentary football, especially in the second half,” Brady said. “I think the biggest thing is, throughout the season, just finding different ways to win. Win up front rushing the football, and there’s gonna come a time and place when we’re gonna have to throw the ball 50 times. It’s about us just being willing to be able to adjust to how the games being played and being able to dictate the terms.”

Miami was a bit of an outlier, but even against Arizona, Allen attempted only 23 passes (he completed 17 for 232 yards) on a day when the Bills fell behind by 14 points in the first half and had to work their way back, but in that game he looked a little more like the Allen we’ve become accustomed to seeing as he made several big plays and totaled four touchdowns, two passing and two rushing.

His 19 attempts against Miami were the third-fewest in his career where he started and played the entire game and the 23 against the Cardinals were the ninth-fewest.

Josh Allen passer rating still stands out

While Allen hasn’t been prolific, he has been efficient. He’s third in both NFL passer rating (124.2) and ESPN’s quarterback rating (84.2), he has the fifth-best completion percentage (73.8%), fourth-best yards per attempt (8.8), has taken just two sacks, has not thrown an interception, and, as we already said, all of that adds up to the only thing he cares about: 2-0.

“Watching a guy like Josh, no matter whether he’s throwing it 10 times, whether he’s throwing it 50 times, just how he was out there having a lot of fun,” Brady said. “Taking what the defense was giving him and leading out there. Not having to do everything was a lot of fun to see.”

Aside from the flow of the first two games, one thing that has become a league-wide trend is that defenses simply aren’t allowing quarterbacks to turn it loose. There’s so much two-high safety being played and defenses want to make offenses go the long, hard route to score, hoping that somewhere along the way they’ll make a mistake. That has also impacted Allen’s numbers.

“When we have opportunities we’ll try to hit on those and try to execute as well as possible,” Allen said of the downfield passing game which so far has been non-existent for the Bills. “I think over the course of the league right now, what defenses are doing, playing a lot of two-high shell is in high demand right now. As we continue to run the ball effectively, we’ll have more opportunities to hit downfield.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Josh Allen's stats have been meager in 2024, but Bills are winning