Kyle Allen has done a lot of things right in the first three starts of his career as he’s joined Carson Wentz as one of two quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to go 3-0 with no interceptions in their first three career games.
One thing he needs to work on?
“Hold on to the ball.”
No interceptions doesn’t necessarily mean no turnovers.
Allen has had five fumbles – four of them recovered by his opponents – in the past two games, losing the football literally every time he’s been sacked in 2019, and he’s been working on ensuring that doesn’t happen anymore. But he’s not walking around the halls of Bank of America Stadium with a football taped to his hands and defenders aren’t constantly trying to knock the ball away from him as he’s sitting in meetings watching film.
“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things and I think that we’re working on it,” said Allen. “We’re working on it after practice everyday. For me, it’s unacceptable; I can’t put the team in a position like that if we want to win games. I take that to heart and I’m working really hard to get better.”
“Some of it is I’m too deep in the pocket sometimes, sometimes it’s rolling out left or right – like I said, it’s a combination of things that I’m working on.”
Kyle Allen is strip sacked for the first turnover of the game.
Yes, the fumbles have been unacceptable – Allen has used that word more than any other to describe the issue – but the rest of his game has presented him with the chance to be the first signal caller since Kurt Warner, another pretty good quarterback, to win his first four starts in the NFL.
It hasn’t just been throwing touchdowns – although he’s done that, with four scores through the air in Arizona. Or completing the passes that are open – he’s done that, too with a completion percentage north of 70%. Or even making key plays at key times, like avoiding one of the best pass rushers in the league on a huge third down and finding a wide open Jarius Wright for a first down – although he certainly did that, even though he downplays the significance of his role in that escape.
“[Watt] makes that play 99 times out of 100 – luckily I just got out of it, it’s football,” demured Allen, as if folks were making too big of a deal about the spectacular play that had his teammates screaming on the sidelines.
What Allen has been doing is efficiently running the offense and giving the Panthers exactly what they need – when they need it.
“The game is not about what he has to do – he’s got to manage the game the way he’s been doing it, he’s got to make the plays when he needs to make the plays and if we’re running the ball well, continue to hand it off,” said Ron Rivera. “If we need a big throw, make a big throw. He understands. He gets it and he’s got the kind of ability right now to do the things that we need him to do and that’s really what it is.”
“He’s got to manage the game the way he has and then make plays when we need him to make plays.”
In Houston, it was Christian McCaffrey’s show as the running back racked up a career-high in touches. But the week prior, it was Allen spreading the ball around to seven different pass catchers with five of them have over 30 yards receiving – and of course, McCaffrey had over 150 yards rushing, but the ability to put the ball into multiple playmakers’ hands is just what the Panthers envisioned with their 2019 offense.
And surrounding a backup quarterback with playmakers, where the defense doesn’t know who to focus on, is a pretty good vision.
“They can’t just hone in just one person – they’ve got to be true to their defense, so you never know who’s going to have how many targets a game and how many yards a game,” said wide receiver DJ Moore, who has four catches 96 yards in the past two weeks with Allen at the helm, including a 52-yard touchdown. “You just never know who’s going to get the ball.”
Now Allen returns home for the first home start of his young NFL career – and he’s excited to bring the success the team has enjoyed on the road back home to Carolina, where he still isn’t being recognized around town quite like his 6-5, 245 pound predecessor who has a penchant for fashion – “I’m pretty non-recognizable,” the 6-3, 210 pound Allen joked Wednesday.
“I’m excited that we’re on a two-game winning streak, we can come home and play in front of our fans,” said Allen, who once played in front of 110,000 fans in college. “I think the energy certainly helps us when they’re on offense and we’re on defense and we can be loud and help them out and I always rally to my fans at home.”
“It’s cool when you score a touchdown and you feel like the whole city’s roaring for you.”
Just hang on to that ball – they’ll roar even louder.
