We should never overreact to one single game, but Sunday was just another reminder of how dominant Josh Allen can be in any game. Despite offensive line injuries, a shaky wide receiver corps, and a goal-line fumble by James Cook, the Bills were able to win because of their star quarterback.
Allen averaged a whopping 9.0 yards per attempt while throwing three touchdowns and adding another with his legs. He racked up over 300 yards of offense and outplayed Joe Burrow by a wide margin. Allen finished the game with a passer rating of 139.7, but his QBR of 96.4 was the highest of any quarterback in Week 14. And at this point, he is the undisputed best quarterback in the league.
Allen has overtaken Patrick Mahomes for the No. 1 QB
For the past seven seasons or so, Patrick Mahomes has been viewed as the consensus top quarterback in the NFL. It’s hard to argue with that, considering Mahomes had won three Super Bowls and two NFL MVP awards in 2018 and 2022. But over the last three seasons, he hasn’t been quite as dominant.
Mahomes posted a passer rating of 106.0 from 2018 to 2023, and the Chiefs had a grand total of 16 losses during those five seasons. But over the last three seasons, his passer rating has dropped down to 92.5, and the Chiefs have lost 14 games despite a 15-1 record with Mahomes under center in 2024.
Mahomes has seen his yards per attempt (7.0) dramatically decline in recent seasons, and Kansas City’s offense has been near the league average. In fact, someone like Russell Wilson has averaged more yards per attempt (7.1) and a higher passer rating (97.0) than Mahomes over the last three seasons. There is no doubt that Mahomes is still one of the league’s best quarterbacks, but he hasn’t been quite the same after a decline in their pass-catching weapons.
Meanwhile, Allen has dealt with a litany of his own problems in Buffalo, none of which are his fault. Both tackles have missed time with injuries. His supposed top wide receiver (Keon Coleman) was a healthy scratch for multiple games, and his top tight end (Dalton Kincaid) has missed a bunch of time due to several injuries. We could go on and on about the struggles at wide receiver for the Bills over the last few seasons, but that would just be wasted time.
And yet, all Allen has done is produce at an elite level. Allen is averaging 8.2 yards per attempt this season, which is the highest of his career. He has a passer rating of 102.9, which is somehow better than his MVP season a year ago. And for the third-straight season, Allen has scored 12+ rushing touchdowns. We could sit here and name all of the impressive numbers for Allen, but anyone who watches the games knows just how good he's been this season.
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Buffalo is now one win away from securing their seventh-straight double-digit win season, and you can give most of the credit to Allen. He hasn’t played with a future Hall of Fame coach like Andy Reid. He hasn’t had two future Hall of Fame pass catchers like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce to target like Mahomes has for most of his career. And yet, Allen has now scored 38 more touchdowns than Mahomes over the last three seasons. That is absurd.
A lot has gone wrong for Buffalo this year, and the injuries are really starting to mount up on defense. Buffalo’s defense finished No. 1 in points per game in 2021, but they have steadily declined in every season since then. But the Bills are still the favorites (+370) in the AFC because of one man, and that man is Josh Allen.
He’s the best quarterback in the league and, frankly, has been for the last three seasons. That’s not to say that he’s had a better career than Mahomes, but there is no doubt who is the better and more impactful player right now. And as long as Allen is upright, the Bills will have a chance against any opponent, regardless of the circumstances or injuries.
He’s the best player in the league, and with a strong performance in the postseason, that’ll finally become the consensus for football fans everywhere, not just in Buffalo.