Why does Josh Allen have Hailee Steinfeld feeling ‘a little ’stitious’; Patriots reveal their biggest problem with Bills QB

Hailee Steinfeld did not reveal a secret game-day ritual for Josh Allen. She did admit there is some superstition involved when her husband takes the field.The timing makes the confession more interesting. Allen and the Buffalo Bills are 3-0 entering their Oct. 4 matchup with the New England Patriots, whose defensive coordinator just described one part of defending the quarterback as “the hardest thing in football to defend.”Why is Hailee Steinfeld ‘a little ’stitious’ when Josh Allen plays?During a Sept. 30 appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Steinfeld was asked whether she and Allen get superstitious around his games.Her answer was short.“We're a little 'stitious, you know? How can you not be?” Steinfeld said.She did not elaborate on any specific ritual, so there is no lucky outfit, meal or pregame routine to dissect just yet.Whatever superstition exists is arriving during an unbeaten start for Buffalo. The Bills have opened the season 3-0, with Allen continuing to affect games through both the air and on the ground.The couple has also had plenty happening away from football.Steinfeld and Allen married in Montecito, Calif., in May 2025. They welcomed their daughter, Harper Haize Allen, in April 2026.Steinfeld later wrote about Harper in the Mother's Day edition of her Beau Society newsletter.“Dearest Harper, I’m in awe of you,” Steinfeld wrote. “You’ve been here for only a short while now, and somehow it feels as though you’ve always been ours.”Her Sept. 30 appearance also came during a press run for the Disney film “Hexed,” which is scheduled for release Nov. 26.Allen's next assignment comes much sooner.Buffalo hosts New England at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 4 at Highmark Stadium, and the Patriots have already made clear that containing the Bills quarterback requires more than defending the original play.What makes Josh Allen’s ‘second play’ so difficult for the Patriots to defend?New England defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr gave Allen one of the strongest compliments an opposing coach can give a quarterback this week.According to Boston Herald reporter Andrew Callahan, Kuhr called Allen an “MVP-caliber quarterback playing MVP football.”But Kuhr's larger concern comes after Buffalo's designed play begins to fall apart.Pats Pulpit's Brian Hines reported that Kuhr described defending Allen's improvisational “second play” as “the hardest thing in football to defend.”That is where Allen creates a different problem.A defense can disrupt the original call and still lose the rep if Allen escapes pressure. Coverage has to hold longer, rushers have to maintain their lanes and defenders must account for Allen as a runner.His numbers through three games show why.Allen has thrown for 786 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 114 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, according to StatMuse.That rushing threat forces New England to defend more than Buffalo's passing concepts.The Patriots have seen the problem before. Last season, with Kuhr serving as New England's defensive play-caller, the Patriots held Buffalo to 20 points in a road victory. Patriots.com later detailed how New England mixed man coverage, zone pressures and a dedicated spy on Allen.Buffalo and New England ultimately split their two meetings last season.Now the Patriots return to Buffalo at 1-2 and coming off a 35-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Bills remain unbeaten.That puts Steinfeld's “little 'stitious” admission on one side of Sunday’s matchup.On the other is a Patriots coaching staff trying to solve something far more concrete: what happens when the first plan for stopping Josh Allen stops working.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.