After a disastrous stretch of defense, blowing a huge lead to the Vikings and allowing Washington to build one in the first half, Josh Allen was exactly who Mike Pettine and Co. needed to see. While Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense couldn’t quite get rolling, a dominating defense shutout the Bills, forcing three turnovers, and notching seven sacks to give Green Bay a much needed 22-0 win in Week 4. The rookie Bills quarterback finished the first half 5/19 for 58 yards en route to a Bills record for incompletions in a first half, to go with a heinous arm punt picked off by Jaire Alexander to wipe points off the board. In six possessions, the Packers forced four three-and-outs and the Alexander pick to shut out a Buffalo team that had jumped all over the Vikings in Week 3. Green Bay jumped out to a 16-0 first-half lead a week after the Bills took a 27-0 margin into halftime in Minnesota. The Packers’ defense had only forced three turnovers in the first three weeks, one of the worst figures in the league. Allen was generous in changing that, throwing two picks and sailing passes over the heads or at the feet of his receivers. Rodgers, looking much healthier but not significantly sharper than a week ago, bought time and made plays in ways we are used to seeing. He also missed some easy throws, threw his first interception of the season and nearly threw a pick-six on fourth down in the second half. Not having Randall Cobb clearly changed the gameplan for the Packers as they rotated running backs, tried to feed Jimmy Graham, and couldn’t quite generate the spark they were looking for. An opening-drive touchdown ended in a doinked extra point by Mason Crosby, a harbinger of things to come for the offense. They were consistently able to move the ball and get in position, only to come up just a little short. Costly drops and some bad throws stymied the Green Bay passing attack, with Rodgers making a number of key plays with his legs and just enough big-time throws to put points on the board. It was enough Sunday against a young Bills squad, but will have to be better for the Packers to achieve their goal of contending for a Super Bowl. Missing a hurt Cobb, the Packers lost Geronimo Allison to a concussion in the second half, forcing a pair of rookies into key roles for Green Bay’s offense. A lack continuity, experience, and rhythm held Rodgers and his group back. So did not playing Aaron Jones more often. He finished with 65 yards on 11 carries, a 5.9 average, and at this point the only person who doesn’t see he’s the best running back in town is McCarthy. Playing Lance Kendricks for any reason remains a head-scratching decision. For all the scheme improvements, some befuddling personnel decisions linger. Two promising third-quarter drives stalled out, resulting in a field goal and a turnover on downs thanks to the same problems that plagued the Packers in Week 3: drops, off-target throws, and some blown protections. In a game that should have been something like 30-0, the Packers held just a 19-0 advantage through three quarters. But the defense came through over and over. Once the lead was double-digits, Mike Pettine began to dial up pressure to confuse and befuddle Allen, ending in seven sacks and 11 quarterback hits for this Packers defense in its first game with Muhammad Wilkerson. Even Kyler Fackrell got into the act with a trio of sacks, disrupting in the Buffalo backfield and flummoxing Allen into missed throws and turnovers. Relying on the defense to pick up a streaky offense wasn’t a luxury the Packers have recently been afforded. Buffalo hardly represents a telling test, but Week 4’s performance serves as a step in the right direction for this young group. Blasting Josh Allen doesn’t prove their worth, but not doing so would have been solid evidence of their failures. And speaking of Super Bowl quality, the last shutout for the Packers was 2010, the year they last hoisted the Lombardi trophy. Rookies Josh Jackson and Jaire Alexander shined in coverage against a pedestrian group of receivers. In fact, a receiver didn’t post a reception until late in the first half for the Bills. The much-maligned Ha Ha Clinton-Dix snagged a pick early in the second half, his third straight game with an interception. Even without Kevin King, this Green Bay secondary proved it has some playmakers, a welcome change from recent vintages of this defense. Through four weeks, the Packers offense has faced four potential top-10 defenses, but the offense simply isn’t where we expect it to be a month from now. This isn’t a Super Bowl offense right now. But if the defense can build on this performance against a quarterback like Matthew Stafford — not just Josh Allen — those offense struggles are not only mitigated, but provide a boost for when Rodgers and his band of merry men finally emerge from Sherwood Forest to once again pillage and plunder. This defense, for its part, isn’t out of the woods itself, but showed the potential to dominate a matchup, even against a rookie. They needed a get-right game and they got one. Whether or not they can get right on their own could very well decide the fate of the Packers this season.<doc-sep>On a day where nothing seemed to go right for the Buffalo Bills, quarterback Josh Allen showed quite a bit of maturity, despite being a 22-year-old rookie. Following histeam’s 22-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers, Allen was quick to shoulder the blame in a game that saw him throw two interceptions and lose an additional fumble. “They (the defense) forced two turnovers, and myself, I gave it back three times. That’s not complementary football. You can’t win… it’s not easy to win doing that type of stuff. I have to do better. The offense has to do better and it starts with me. Learning from this experience that I had here,” Allen said. When given the opportunity to pass some of the blame off on a run game that produced a total of 58 yards, Allen quickly brought it back to how he could have helped them do a better job. “We have to be better at executing. We have to be better at myself getting the ball out on time and when it needs to be. You know, I have to help the running game, too, whether it’s quick passes here or there that get them backed off a little bit and enable us to run the ball. I have to be better in all aspects and this is going to be a learning experience. Take it and run with it and we will be better as an offense,” Allen said. Allen was also aware of the fact that it’s a quarterback’s job to protect his wide receivers, by not leading them into dangerous situations. “The one I threw to KB [Kelvin Benjamin], I can’t lead him into a split safety. That’s my fault. I have to continue to get better and understand what’s going on around me.” Despite the fact that today’s game seemed to be a total reversal of the success we saw from Allen and the offense in Minnesota, the quarterback isn’t losing his confidence going forward. “I take this one on my shoulders,” the rookie said. “We can only go as far as the quarterback goes. I’m a strong critic of myself and the only way I can look at this is that we are going to be better from this. It’s going to pay off in the long run.” Whether it does pay off in the long run or not, remains to be seen, but it is nice to see Allen stepping up despite it being far from only his fault. As a quarterback league, both success and failure will be attributed to him and he seemingly understands that. Part of the reason some were against Allen starting this season, was fear that he wasn’t ready to handle all of the things that come with being a starting quarterback in the NFL. While he is still has a long way to go on the field, it appears that he is making strides off of it. There’s a reason Allen has earned his teammates trust and that they feel he brings that intangible that comes with being a franchise quarterback. Assuming the blame in only your third career start, despite not receiving virtually any help around you, is one of them.<doc-sep>It was a long day for rookie quarterback Josh Allen. Three total turnovers and 16-for-33 passing for 151 yards will do that to a rookie. Perhaps the ugliest interception of your career is just the cherry on top. All that happened during the Buffalo Bills’ 22-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Allen, often complimented for the way he handles things at the podium after the game, also had the cameras following him for his reactions during the game. Here’s all of Allen’s reactions on the sideline during the shutout loss to the Packers: width = 100%<doc-sep>The Buffalo Bills walked into Lambeau Field with their heads held high and left with their tail between their legs. The goes double for rookie quarterback Josh Allen. In Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bills entered the game as 17-point underdogs and won 27-6. Allen played a big part in that going 15-for-22 with 196 passing yards, one throwing touchdown and two rushing scores. Each and every statistic took a hit against the Green Bay Packers a mere week later. On top of that, Allen, who didn’t turn the ball over once against the Vikings, had two interceptions and a lost fumble against the Packers. “I thought our defense went out and played really well, especially in the second half. They kept us in it for the most part and they really gave us a chance. They forced two turnovers, and myself, I gave it back three times. That’s not complementary football. You can’t win… it’s not easy to win doing that type of stuff. I have to do better,” Allen said following the game. So what the heck happened?<doc-sep>
Bills rookie QB Josh Allen learns tough lesson at Lambeau Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen throws around Green Bay Packers' Nick Perry during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps) GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Josh Allen's two-week trip through the NFC North ended with a resounding dud of a game. No highlight-reel hurdles over linebackers for the rookie quarterback. No touchdown runs. Heck, the Buffalo Bills could barely move the ball Sunday. A week after helping the Bills post a surprising road win over the Minnesota Vikings, Allen looked every bit like a first-year player making his third career start in a 22-0 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Allen accounted for three turnovers, including two interceptions and a fumble late in the fourth quarter that stood on review. He was 16 of 33 for 151 yards. The Bills had a much tougher time on the road in the NFC North, a week after a stunning win at heavily favored Minnesota. ''I take this one on my shoulders,'' Allen said. ''We can only go as far as the quarterback goes.'' And that wasn't very far at Lambeau Field. Green Bay had decisive edges in total offense (423-145) and first downs (22-11). They sacked Allen seven times, with first-year coordinator Mike Pettine able to produce more pressure playing with 16-point lead at the half. Even the return of running back LeSean McCoy, who missed a game because of a rib injury, didn't help the Bills (1-3). ''We were out of rhythm on offense. We needed to find some consistency,'' coach Sean McDermott said. Allen looked out of sorts for much of the afternoon. Under pressure out of the pocket late in the second quarter, Allen heaved a high pass into the middle of the end zone that was picked off easily by Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander. Green Bay could sense that they were getting to the rookie signal caller. ''We knew we had to start fast and get him second-guessing himself,'' Packers outside linebacker Nick Perry said. ''Once that became evident, we continued to keep our foot on the gas and keep rolling.'' McDermott had some soothing words for Allen after the end-zone pick. Story continues ''It was just real subtle. He understands that I'm a rookie and I have growing pains,'' Allen said. He was coming off the high of the big win last week in Minnesota against what was considered one of the top defenses in the league. Allen was 15 of 22 for 196 and a touchdown pass against the Vikings, while running 10 times for 39 yards and two scores. He learned a hard lesson on Sunday against the Packers. ''But at the same time, I hold myself to higher standards, so I don't care if I'm a rookie or been in the league for 10 years, it's something I can't do,'' Allen added. ''It's something I'm going to learn from and I'm not going to do it again.'' --- More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/tag/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP-NFL