Dion Dawkins Watches Tape, Explains Josh Allen’s “Madness,” and Breaks Down the Bills’ 5-1 Start

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Dion Dawkins Watches Tape, Explains Josh Allen’s “Madness,” and Breaks Down the Bills’ 5-1 Start

Doug Farrar · Athlon Sports

Fri, Oct 23, 2026 ·

18 min read

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The Buffalo Bills have come out hot to start the 2026 NFL season. They're 5-1, at the top of the AFC East, and they're led by the league's second-best offense, per DVOA . Josh Allen is doing his usual impossible things on the regular, the run game under head coach and offensive shot-caller Joe Brady is dominant, and though the defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard is a work in progress at this time, the Bills — who have a 103-51 regular-season record since 2017 — are hoping that this is their year to win it all.

Left tackle Dion Dawkins has been there for all of it. The Bills' second-round pick in 2017 out of Temple, the 32-year-old Dawkins is playing up to his usual high standard, and he's a major part of what makes that offense go.

Something that makes Dawkins go is the Polaris DAGOR off-road vehicle . The addition of the Polaris DAGOR to Call of Duty highlights a different side of Polaris innovation, showcasing the company's military and government capabilities alongside its recreational power sports portfolio.

I recently spoke with Dawkins about the DAGOR, and we then got into a few of his favorite plays so far from the season, and how he thinks the Bills are setting things up for ultimate success.

Doug Farrar: Dion, I wanted to start with your love of off-road vehicles and your partnership with Polaris, which is the game's official off-road vehicle partner. I was looking at the DAGOR, and that's a serious piece of machinery, man. It's pretty impressive. So what do you like so much about your partnership with Polaris?

Dion Dawkins:Well, for one, I love the fact that it's combined with a lot of things, right? Like the Polaris, I've grown up on them. We go off-roading, we're in the sand dunes, like we're always doing something, right? And then for us to be driving Polarises in the middle of Times Square is elite. That is elite-type stuff. And then for the Polaris to be in Call of Duty is the third part of being elite where you could drive around, I hate to say this, run over people, win matches, you know, have fun, be a kid in a video game and just be yourself.

And now, thinking about it, the DAGOR specifically is the perfect version of correlation of an offensive lineman to an off-roading machine or to a machine in general, right? Like the Razor, of course, that's like the hybrid, right? But the DAGOR is like the full unit of the O-Line, right? This is the big one, the one that you're going through everything with, and everybody's jumping out. You've got the gas on the back, and the extra ammo, and all the cool stuff, right? So I just think that partnership is a dope coming together.

DF: Well, I was gonna say, you only mean running over people in an offensive line sense. Like one of the plays I sent where you were pancaking Kobie Turner of the Rams, which was pretty impressive. That's all you mean by that, right?

DD:Yeah, exactly. You would never run over people in an automotive sense, but in a football sense, of course you would. But I'm gonna tell you the honest truth, Doug. I would definitely run over somebody in a motor or an anything sense in the video game. Because in the video game, it's what you do. You have fun, and you allow your imagination to come to life. And in the game, like you don't even have to like run over people, right? That's just like the extra thought. But to be able to get from one side of the map to the next in style — to be able to avoid trouble and get through and over things and through the water and all types of stuff — that's what I'm running.

DF: I like that it's not just about getting there, it's about getting there in style. That's how we should all live.

DD:Absolutely.

DF: Speaking of style, the Bills head into the bye at 5-1. The one loss [to the New England Patriots in Week 4] is by three points. You guys look as well set up as I've ever seen this offense with Joe Brady and my God, the way you're running the ball. And obviously, Josh Allen is doing all kinds of alien stuff. How are you feeling about this season so far? And just kind of where you guys are headed, where the whole team is now? Defense has been up and down, but the offense is cooking. How do you feel about where the Bills are at this point?

DD:I think that we've shown a lot of great things, but we still haven't shown the best version of ourselves yet. I think that we've hopefully played the worst football that we've shown so far. From penalties, from fumbles, from everything, from whatever you want to say, I think that our best ball is yet to come. And I enjoy that that's where we're at now, going to the bye week, because we have every bit [of time] to look at and learn from what's going on. And we're going to dissect it, which we're doing now, and then we're going to move on. And we're going to bury it, and we're going to move on and grow from it. And we're not going to be on a high, like, "Oh, we're 5-1," because realistically you could be five and one, and then end out horribly, right? So we have a lot of football to go, and it's a great start, but still we haven't done what we're supposed to do yet, which is to show our best stuff.

There's been a couple of beautiful plays, right? There's been a couple of beautiful moments, but realistically we have to do a lot better, everybody, individually, to be the best in the world when this thing is over with.

DF:Makes sense. Well, speaking of what you've done before, let's get into some football plays.

Play 1: Vs. the Houston Texans, Week 1, 1:39 left in the second quarter

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) rushes as Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) defends during the game at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

DF: I want to talk about [left guard] Alec Anderson, because I wrote about him when you guys were doing all that 6OL stuff a couple of years ago , and then you kind of flipped into two-back and more tight end stuff last season. But he was your sixth man, and he would come in and just demolish people. And now he's your left guard. And I love the way you guys work [Texans edge-rusher] Danielle Hunter, who is one of the best edge-rushers in the NFL.

So this is, you've got [Hunter] there [on the outside], and then he decides, okay, well, you know, Dion's got me here. I'm going to do an inside spin, and Alec Anderson says, okay, that's a cute move. Here's what happens to you [Anderson knocks Hunter to the turf]. Just working in concert with Alec and the way you guys set that up, I mean, how good does that feel to have that sort of cohesion in the line? Because this is a good play by both of you, and you kind of set the table for him to come in and just get the full stack of pancakes.

DD:Right. Well, it's knowing what type of protection you're in. It's knowing where your help is and setting accordingly to where your help is at, right? Like, a lot of people don't have 100% trust in the people that they're playing with. If you watch how I play in every game, I know exactly where I can lose. If I lose, I know exactly where my help is going to be. I know exactly how I have to set a defender of, oh, there's going to be a brush-by chip [by the running back]. Oh, I'm getting a chip from the tight end. Oh, I know which tight end is going to be chipping. I know which timing [where] Alec is going to check the center and then come help me.

So with all of those things, it's just knowing where your help is going to be, trusting your guard and who you're playing with 100%, and then setting him up while protecting yourself in a situation. Like right here, I played softer on my inside shoulder, knowing, okay, cool. I can do it. If [Hunter] takes it, he takes it. If not, I'll run him around. I'll take him up high. Or if he wants to go inside, which he should because we're getting a brush by chipper, this is the play. This is where, you know, Alec should be coming for a kill shot because I know exactly, all right, cool. I can't take another kick step out, because it's going to mess up my running back. So cool. Hope that my guard is coming. And if he does, he does. If he wants to highlight, come and get it. And if not, I'll circle back to the inside, and then I'll wash him down.

DF: And then we have the explosive play for a touchdown [Josh Allen's 43-yard touchdown pass to receiver DJ Moore], which is a nice way to end that play.

DD:Yeah, very good.

Play 2: Vs. the Los Angeles Rams, Week 5, 5:54 left in the fourth quarter

Sep 8, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Leonard Floyd (54) defends against Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) in the second quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

DF: This is a 15-yard Josh Allen scramble. I wanted to talk about just stunts and games and how you guys work these, because this is you and Alec again. This is edge-rusher Josaiah Stewart. And the 99 guy over here [inside], I think people have heard of him… Aaron Donald or something like that. So let's look at this. What are you guys communicating?

DD:Right there, we're probably communicating that both A-gaps are clogged up, which we'll say whatever front. And then [Anderson] is either telling me snap count, set this way, set that way. We got these two. We're locked up or we're sliding. We can communicate everything.

DF: We're seeing more of these mug looks [two extra defenders in the A-gap] in the NFL. So it makes sense that you guys would study those more.

DD:Yeah, and he's basically just communicating that there's a double A-gap blitz, which we can all see, right? So it's not like, and for the people, and it's learning, right? During the week we study who's the main blitzer, who's always blitzing, who's usually the dropper, who's better in space, who's not better, who's the thumper, who's the more physical guy, who's the more elusive guy, right? And we're looking at it. And, you know, Alec is telling me what he's doing and what his plan is. I'm going off of what the plan is coming from the quarterback all the way down.

DF: So then, [safety] Quentin Lake blitzes, and [linebacker] Nate Landman goes out. He had an unfortunate day trying to spy Josh Allen. We'll get into that later. Which any linebacker would. I wouldn't spy Josh Allen for anything. So we've got Aaron Donald inside on your buddy, Alec, and Josaiah Stewart out here. Just running through this, how do you know when the pass you stunts off? Or is it more of an automatic thing where the guy just moves in your area and you kind of take him?

DD:Oh, man. I wish that there was a perfect answer, because you really don't know. But you kind of set as the fastest rusher, right? So like you're, and you're setting as 10 [Stewart] is going, right? So I'm one, two, three, and then boom, he's doing something, so I'm doing something. But realistically, you don't only see that blue No. 10. You're seeing a blue 99. You're seeing a lot of moving colors. So you're kind of playing with the colors at this point and you're protecting yourself based off of colors, right? Like, oh, all right, 99 is rushing Alec. Why is he so close to me, right? So because he's so close, all right, maybe I should defend myself and protect myself and maybe try to close that space and see.

And what happens is then once you kind of get there, it's kind of like muscle memory and you just switch it off. It's kind of crazy, like how it happens though. Looking at it, it's like an art, man.

DF: And then there's poor Nate Landman. I feel sorry for him — he's a good player, but man, I wouldn't spy 17 for anything. I just don't think it's right.

Play 3: Vs. the Las Vegas Raiders, Week 6, 6:30 left in the third quarter

Oct 18, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) reacts after a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Trim-Imagn Images

DF: I know you've got a busy day, so let's get to the final play here. And this is the one I just had to ask you about. Because I mean, you have a nice block here, but it's really what Josh Allen does. I put this up on Twitter, too. I'm like, how?

DD:Yeah, my dog said it. "Dion, you had a good block. You had a good block. But I'm gonna tell you the truth. It ain't really you."

DF: No, it is you! Malcolm Koonce is a good rusher here, and you got him. And I first have to ask — I mean, does it ever get rote? Does it ever get boring? Like, "Oh, Josh Allen made another play that no other quarterback in the history of the NFL can make?"

DD:No, never! Oh my gosh, we love it! We're like, "Add to it, add more to it, add more to it!"

DF: Okay, so you've got your kick-step. Koonce isn't going anywhere. That's fine. And then what is this? Oh my goodness. It's not even the first guy [Allen flips the ball to]. It's the second guy [receiver Keon Coleman]. And then we got the end zone angle, too.

DD:This is absolutely madness, man.

DF: And then, there you are. So just, if you want to give me a running commentary on this play, like what your thoughts are, and what you're doing. And then at the end of it, you go up to him. What are you saying?

DD:Yeah, well, if you start back at the beginning of the play, [I'm] kicking [kick-stepping] and you're like, beat [Koonce] out of the stance. Boom, beat him out of the stance. Get out quick, get to your spot. Can't lose. This is a game-winning rep, a game-winning play. Get to your spot. Know that you're one-on-one, right? I'm one-on-one, so I can't lose. I definitely can't lose outside because if I lose outside, Josh is right there. You see where his back leg is, right? Josh's back leg is right there. So if I lose that rep, that play never happens, right?

DF: Here comes Alec, so you have help. And he's doing that drive-by [blocking] thing again. You guys are really good at that.

DD:Right, and he's doing that in drive-by thing. Just, that's all like little gimmicks of help. Then here comes Alec. Alec has extra time because right here, like on this rep, Alec is helping. Actually, Alec is one-on-one with [defensive lineman Kwity Paye]. We've got to lock it down. Here comes Josh. Josh goes up, he comes left. The scary part about it is now it's a pursuit drill. Now it's a free-for-all scramble, right? So I block my guy, and my job is done. Now, I usually wait. When stuff like this happens, I usually wait because I don't want to get in Josh's way, right? I don't want him to run into me. I just want him to do what he does, right? If I would have ran up and tried to like do anything, this whole thing would have been different, right? So it's just like, "Stay out of Josh's way, let Josh do what he does."

And I think that the beauty of this play is the fact that Josh jukes 51 [Koonce]. Like, how do you see him that fast? Right? And then he chucked, and he's Olympic.

DF: Yeah, it's crazy. So Koonce gets the twofer here because you block him out, and then Alec gets him, and he's like, "Aw, man, at least give me the quarterback."

DD:Yup. Just… madness.

DF: For you guys, it has to be like, "He's an alien. I'm just glad he's our alien." I mean, have you ever seen a football player like him?

DD:Nope, never protected one, you know, and I'm super-biased. You know, I am blessed to have this guy with me, and I'm blessed to do what I can do for him because I'm telling you, being able to play with this guy, I see things, and I'm like, "Bro, Josh, you are crazy." Like, right there, as I'm leaning over and about to pick him up, I'm screaming at him and cursing. I'm like, "Bro, you're effing crazy. You're freaking crazy. Oh, you're freaking crazy."

And I'm picking him up, and he just smiles and goes… [chuckles]. I'm like, "Damn, Josh, like, you know?" But it's pretty dope, man.

Is this (finally) the year?

Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) celebrates his touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) during the first quarter of the game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

DF: You've been with the Bills since 2017, second round pick. You've seen the whole ascent and all the heartbreak and whatnot. Yeah. If I were to ask you, why is this year of the Bills go all the way [and win the Super Bowl]? What is your answer?

DD:You know, I wish that I could be overly [definitive with] that answer, but I truly think that Call of Duty is coming out, brother. And because Call of Duty is coming out, and hear me for what I'm saying, it gives everybody a better sense of bonding off the field, okay? And it's not always about what happens on the field. It's a lot what happens off. When guys go into the building and they're like, "Yo, like we were chilling all night, bro. Like, you're my guy." And then in practice, you have to play with the player. And to build that relationship off of the field, and drive around in the Polarises and do all that cool type of things as a unit, off the field, it makes everything on the field better.

That's why when you see teams and you're like, "Oh man, it looks like those guys are having a lot of fun out there." It looks like that everything is just meshing, right? I'm telling you, there's a lot of Call of Duty involved. There's a lot of Polarises driven around and there's a lot of off-the-field bonding, whether it's bowling, whether it's going like to the movies, dinners, but I'm telling you, it's the off-the-field stuff that definitely brings it home when it all counts.

DF: You know, you ask former players what they miss most? It's not the game. It's not the money. It's the locker room. They all say it's the locker room. It's being with [your teammates] and doing that.

DD:Yeah, it's true.

DF: Dion Dawkins, this was awesome. I've seen you mic'd up before. I knew this would be fun, and you exceeded expectations, man. Have a great rest of the season. Best of luck. And we'll hope to talk to you down the road.

DD:Yes, sir, Doug. Ciao, brother. Keep tweeting and posting, bro — you're doing well, man.

This story was originally published by Athlon on Oct 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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