Did the Buffalo Bills change their offensive play calling on Thursday Night Football with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in town?
If anything, the Bills certainly changed their verbiage for quarterback Josh Allen, which sparked across social media as Buffalo rolled to the 24-18 home win.
Unique Audibles Overheard by Josh Allen and the Bills
It began at the 9:23 mark of the first quarter when Allen made this check at the line using this code for his Bills offensive linemen and skill guys: JR Smith.
Wonder what these audibles are 😂@TheRealJRSmith | @KingJames pic.twitter.com/HP5bBZQoqs
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2023
That’s right…a new Bills wrinkle named after the polarizing NBA champion from the Cleveland Cavaliers. And in the aftermath of that check, Allen hit Khalil Shakir for a five-yard reception.
But Allen wasn’t through with rolling out the new audibles. He stayed with an NBA theme by calling one named after four-time NBA champion LeBron James.
“LEBRON JAMES. LEBRON JAMES.”
Josh Allen with the @KingJames audible!#TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/ykEuoqUIyx
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 27, 2023
Unfortunately, that call led to a sack by YaYa Diaby. Yet, on the subsequent play, Allen scored his NFL record-tying 43rd career rushing touchdown on a 13-yard scamper.
But there were two more.
Turned out Allen and the Bills joined the rest of the league in hopping on the current Taylor Swift craze going across the league. Their next audible was named after the Country/Pop diva who has been romantically linked to Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce.
Ok, the most important question you’ll answer the rest of the evening — did Josh Allen say J.R. Smith or Taylor Swift? 🤔pic.twitter.com/uSMCGZRRBX
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 27, 2023
And the pair of audibles after that? Named after two Pro Bowl defenders.
Josh Allen’s audibles so far tonight:
– LeBron James
– JR Smith
– Jamal Adams
– Bobby Wagnerpic.twitter.com/PWc5XS6zXN— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2023
Did Allen Explain the Meaning Behind the Audible Changes?
The burning question was brought up by the Amazon Prime NFL postgame crew: What is the call when Allen says “LeBron James”?
Allen’s answer? “It’s either a run or a pass.”
Allen opted to not dive into the specifics of the audible call and what the Bills aim to hit the defense with after blurting out the NBA legend.
But on a night the calls were overheard, Allen ended up putting together one of his better performances of the year: 31 of 40 passing, 324 yards, two touchdowns, and just one interception. It’s now the second-most passing yards in a game this season for the perennial Pro Bowler.
Those calls, though, were part of a faster offensive emphasis that became noticeable.
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“I love it,” Allen said regarding playing in a more up-tempo offense. “I don’t know if it’s something we’re going to stay in for the rest of the season or not. On a short week, getting into our core stuff, being able to see some of their pressures, we picked up most of their pressures tonight. Our offensive line played really well tonight. We then spread the ball really good.”
But will this be the name of the calls moving forward?
“It’s kind of our staple plays. But that’s something we’re going to have to switch around,” Allen said.
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