Aug 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) sets to throw a pass in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at the New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
Aug 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) sets to throw a pass in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at the New Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It took all of one series for Josh Allen to remind Buffalo Bills fans and the rest of the NFL he’s still Josh Allen.
Not only did he do that, he also got to show off the bond he’s already building with his new target. His name is wide receiver D.J. Moore and while you have to stay grounded after one meaningless preseason game, you can’t help but be excited to see Allen and Moore already looking like they’re on the same page.
Buffalo needed to do a major upgrade at the receiver position this past offseason and the very early returns show that they may have done just that.
Josh Allen, DJ Moore give Bills fans great preview of what's to come
Buffalo’s second drive Saturday against the Carolina Panthers served as the perfect opening to the new Highmark Stadium. It was capped off by a touchdown that was vintage Allen (more on that in a moment) but the play that really got the energy in the new stadium was a completion to the Bills’ top offseason acquisition.
Facing a 2nd and 8 just across midfield, Allen did a playaction fake to James Cook and found an open Moore despite the Carolina defense getting in his face. Moore then turned the corner, turned on the speed, and gained 32 yards on the completion.
It was the exact kind of play that Bills fans are expecting to see throughout the course of the season. Allen has a security blanket now, and when Moore can get open like he did on this play it’s hard not to get too excited about the results as well as the potential for more big plays down the road.
Moore finished the day with 3 catches for 61 yards. Allen finished 6-8 for 111 yards and a touchdown. If you’ve been following Bills training camp at all, you know Allen has been working hard to establish chemistry and a connection with Moore. If this is still the early stages, just imagine what it’ll look like come November.
Again, it’s only one single preseason performance that consisted of only two series, but you can’t help but be fired up about the season Allen looks like he’s going to have in 2026. If the plays to Moore weren’t enough to get Bills fans’ mouth watering, the touchdown pass Allen made to finish the second series should get them salivating at an unhealthy level.
Allen, again on a playaction fake, runs a bootleg and extends the play again by juking the daylights out of Trevis Gipson and launching a beautiful throw to Keon Coleman for the first touchdown at the new Highmark Stadium. It looks like Allen is in midseason form already and if that touchdown was any indication, a special year could be in store for the Buffalo offense.
The fact that it was Coleman getting the touchdown adds even more hype for Allen. Fans remember the awkward press conference after Sean McDermott was fired in which Terry Pegula pinned the draft selection of Coleman on the coaching staff and not the front office.
For Allen to get him involved so early in the preseason sends a clear message that the former MVP believes Coleman can have a prominent role in the offense.
It’s one series of one preseason game, but all signs point to Allen being locked in for another MVP-like year. With a reliable target in Moore and developing chemistry with the other targets, the quarterback is primed for another run at his second MVP award.
The AFC East, and really the rest of the NFL, should be terrified as the countdown to Week 1 nears its end.
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