Just hours after the Buffalo Bills’ loss to the Miami Dolphins, the criticism toward Josh Allen erupted across social media, talk shows, and national sports networks. But in the midst of that storm, an unexpected voice rose to defend him — Rob Gronkowski, NFL legend and a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan despite never playing for the franchise.
Gronkowski, who grew up near Buffalo, has always had a deep attachment to the team. So when he stepped forward to defend Josh Allen at one of the most difficult moments of the quarterback’s career, the entire Bills community took notice.
According to multiple sources inside the organization, Allen has been dealing with mental fatigue, emotional strain, and lingering physical issues, yet he has refused to use any of them as an excuse. He continues to lead, continues to take responsibility, and continues to fight — even as the weight on his shoulders grows heavier each week.
In a statement that instantly ignited social media, Gronkowski delivered a powerful message:
“What’s happening to Josh Allen is an injustice to football — a blatant betrayal of everything this sport is supposed to stand for. How can people be so cruel? Criticizing a man who has carried his team with his whole heart, who goes out there every week in pain, gives everything he has, never asks for applause, never points fingers — he just keeps fighting.”
Those words swept through the Bills community within minutes, sparking intense reactions. Many fans acknowledged that Allen has been treated far too harshly, especially during a stretch where the entire team has struggled with injuries, depth issues, and mounting pressure.
Allen’s teammates echoed the sentiment, describing him as the same relentless leader he has always been — the first to arrive, the last to leave, the one who lifts everyone else up even when he himself is hurting.
To Gronkowski, that is the core of the issue:
Josh Allen is not the problem in Buffalo. He remains the heart of the franchise, even if that heart is bruised from carrying so much weight for so long.
Gronk called on Bills Mafia to stand together — and to stand with Allen:
This is not the time for blame. This is the time for loyalty.
Because as Gronkowski emphasized,
After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, quarterback Baker Mayfield publicly stated that he felt the Tampa Bay offense lacked a “killer instinct” at Raymond James Stadium.
Head coach Todd Bowles later agreed with Mayfield’s assessment. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Tampa Bay rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was asked about Mayfield’s comments.
“We don’t have too many divas in this locker room who think they’re above the law or anything like that,” Egbuka said, per the Buccaneers’ website. “We know everyone has to do their one-eleventh, whoever is on the field. People took great accountability, came in [Wednesday], and had a focused, locked-in session. [We] just have to continue stacking days throughout the week to fix everything that we need to fix before Sunday’s kickoff.”
The Patriots seemed to have more energy, outscoring the Buccaneers 21-3 before the hosts tallied their second touchdown of the contest, cutting New England’s lead to 21-16. However, neither team managed to score throughout the fourth quarter before New England’s TreVeyon Henderson iced the game away with a lengthy touchdown run:
TREVEYON ICES IT
NEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/9StEyeQPMR
— NFL (@NFL) November 9, 2025
Mayfield clearly wasn’t pleased with the Buccaneers’ energy coming off their Week 9 bye. On Wednesday, he was asked why he felt the need to speak up after a loss to a club that improved to 8-2.
“There’s definitely a time and place for team speeches — whatever you want to call it — or calling people out, whatever it is. There is a time and place, and for us offensively, that wasn’t up to our standards,” Mayfield explained. “Our leaders have to be exceptional in those moments, and everybody else has to do their role, their job, whatever that is, at a very high level. That’s the NFL; it’s professional football. We expect people to do their job at a high level. Nobody is perfect, but when it’s things you’ve consistently seen on tape and we’ve executed, you expect them to do it well.”
The 6-3 Buccaneers will need to do their jobs “at a high level” when they play the Buffalo Bills (6-3) this Sunday. As of Thursday afternoon, ESPN BET had Tampa Bay as a 5.5-point road underdog.