Josh Allen spent the Bills’ bye week at a beach somewhere with Hailee Steinfeld and their daughter, Harper, and he said the break felt “pretty perfect.” The Buffalo Bills returned to work in Week 8, but Allen made clear that the time away was less about football and more about family.
Allen said he got away a little bit, hung out with his family and watched only a little football on Sunday while on dad duty. He said spending time with Harper was his favorite thing to do, and that he was following his daughter around a little more than he was following the NFL schedule.
That pause came after a strong start for the Bills, who were leading the league in points per game through their first six games. Even so, Allen said the offense had plenty to clean up, including ball security, and added that the unit still had a lot to improve on even as it prepared for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.
The contradiction is hard to miss. Buffalo has been scoring at a rate that puts it near the top of the league, but Allen said there were many things the offense was not doing well and that the team had the second-least amount of plays. The message from the quarterback was not satisfaction. It was urgency, even after a bye week that gave him a rare chance to step away from the field.
For Allen, the time away also underscored how much his life has changed since he and Steinfeld welcomed Harper this offseason. He said having a daughter makes him a little softer, a little more affectionate and more emotional. That is the part of the week he sounded happiest talking about, not the beach or the football scorelines, but the simple routine of being home with his 6-month-old daughter and returning to the building with the same task ahead: keep improving before the Ravens arrive.
