ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — When you look at the Buffalo Bills rushing stats from the season-opening 31-10 win at Los Angeles against the Rams, a familiar name tops the list.
Josh Allen: 10 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown. He was once again the team's leading rusher.
In large part, that's a good thing given how Allen is able to use his mobility, on top of throwing for 297 yards and three touchdowns.
It's not that he runs, it's how he runs at times.
The stiff-arm while running for a first down against the Rams is the latest on a highlight reel that includes leaping over defenders. It's part of what's helped Allen emerge as one of the league's best quarterbacks.
It's also what puts him at greater risk of injury.
To be clear, Allen has run the ball aggressively and made those type of plays at critical moments with games and seasons on the line. Balancing that, he also took hits when the Bills had extended their lead over the Rams in the fourth quarter.
Allen acknowledged he still has work to do in that area as the Bills prepare to host the Titans on Monday night on Channel 2.
"I think I could be better in that aspect, but understanding the flow of the game, given the circumstances of what it was, I do things sometimes that are necessary in my eyes to help our team win the football game," Allen said.
That's clearly happened at moments when the reward has outweighed the risk. Yet Allen acknowledged needing to take a better approach at times in games when the opposite is true.
"You know at the end of the day, availability is the best ability. Just understanding that and getting down and not taking too many hits," he said. "That's year in and year out."