Josh Allen Has Big Chance To Prove He is In the Upper Echelon of QBs
Tonight at 5:00 p.m. / ET, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are set to face off in Buffalo. Both teams currently sit at 4-1, so a victory for either side would boost their record to 5-1. Still, garnering a victory will be easier said than done. Both the Bills and Chiefs have played excellent football this year: in large part due to the play of their quarterbacks (Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes).
The matchup between the two signal callers will be a fun one. Patrick Mahomes is, well, Patrick Mahomes. He can make any throw on the field, and dazzles game in and game out. Mahomes already has a MVP award and Super Bowl victory under his belt at age 25. There is almost no argument to be made against the idea that he has been the best quarterback in the league since taking over as the Chiefs lead man back in 2018.
Nullified by a holding penalty but holy hell Patrick Mahomes pic.twitter.com/Hl3kkbpkkd
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) October 12, 2020
On the other side for Buffalo, the Josh Allen experience has been a little bit more of a roller coaster. The former top-10 pick out of Wyoming has made some head scratching plays since being drafted in 2018. At the same time, his athletic ability and cannon for an arm has helped the Bills make big play after big play: something they struggled to do for what felt like an eternity.
Josh Allen’s arm strength is absurd 😳 @JoshAllenQB @stefondiggs @BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/R5ibabPZI1
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 13, 2020
But this year there has been something different with Allen. The quarterback has been playing at an MVP level, already throwing for 14 touchdowns to go along with three rushing touchdowns. Oh, and his completion percentage is up a staggering 10.5% from last year.
In same breath, it is worth mentioning that Allen had his worst game of the season last Monday against the Titans, throwing two interceptions to go along with a 63.4% completion percentage (his low for the year). Still, that low is still better than the season marks he set in 2018 (52.8%) and 2019 (58.8%). It has been very clear throughout the 2020 season that Allen has taken a major step forward.
Josh Allen’s numbers through five games look awfully similar to Patrick Mahomes’ MVP season 👀 pic.twitter.com/6b3LcSpTwQ
— ESPN (@espn) October 19, 2020
But tonight, in a matchup with Mahomes and the Chiefs, he has a chance to show he belongs in the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks. If Allen is able continue his 2020 dominance and match Mahomes throw for throw all the while leading the Bills to a victory over the defending champs, he will gain some real legitimacy from the league, and everyone watching at home.
– Jarrod Ribaudo (@jarrod_ribaudo)