For the first two years of his NFL career, it seemed that the idea that Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen would be in the conversation for league MVP any time in the foreseeable future would be nothing more than a pipe dream.
Yet here he is, a quarter of the way into the season, having guided Buffalo to a 4-0 start while putting up otherworldly numbers.
On the year, Allen is 105-of-148 through the air (71 percent completions), for 1,326 yards with 12 touchdown passes, one interception and a solid 122.8 passer rating.
Leading the early MVP derby are the four QBs who are 4-0, including Allen.
The others are Seattle’s Russell Wilson, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, though Allen’s numbers are better than the latter.
He’s second in the league in passing yards, third in touchdown passes and quarterback rating and tied for fourth in fewest interceptions (Rodgers, Mahomes and Las Vegas’ Derek Carr have thrown none).
But Allen’s epiphany isn’t limited to impressive passing numbers. He’s reduced his anxiety-inducing runs to an average of four per game, though he still has three rushing TDs, his decision-making has improved dramatically and he’s become a respected leader in the locker room almost overnight..
AND ON MONDAY, Allen was the recipient of a glowing endorsement from a high-profile observer.
Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was the guest on the SiriusXM Blitz.
Host Bruce Murray pointed out that Allen had inserted himself into MVP speculation and wondered what Favre thought about Buffalo’s QB and the job being done by Brian Daboll the Bills’ offensive coordinator.
“I’ve talked about Daboll on this show many times,” the former Green Bay star said. “He’s an exceptional coach.
“I’m not surprised with Josh Allen’s success. He looks awesome. That kid is a tremendous talent. He can sling it. He can move … for a big guy he can really move. We saw that with him the last few years but what we’re seeing now is he’s taking it to the next level. He’s winning games. He’s putting an exclamation point on the game itself week-in and week-out.”
Favre added, “For Buffalo fans and the organization, it’s what you’ve been waiting to see and you’ve gotten it. His time is now and I think it’s going to be for quite a while. I think Josh Allen will be the new Tom Brady … at some point he’ll be running the division. I believe that.”
BEST OF ALL, Allen, despite a start that has so many people talking, has been unfailingly humble and quick to point out his success is team-based.
After Sunday’s 30-23 win over the Raiders in Las Vegas, he issued words of caution.
“Four wins doesn’t get you into the playoffs,” Allen said. “We kind of look at it in quarters throughout the season. We’re done with our first quarter. We consider that a win, going 4-0. Now, it’s on to the second quarter and we’ve got to find ways to win games. We’ve got some really tough opponents coming up.”
He admitted, “Things are rolling right now. But we understand, throughout the year, we’ll probably hit some adversity at one point or another, so we’ve got to continue to stay strong, stay together. But our guys love each other and that’s not going to change anytime soon.”
As for his role in the Bills’ success, Allen explained, “A lot of trust goes into it. Our guys have been busting their tails in practice. My job is to just give them an opportunity to go make a play and that’s what we’ve been doing on a regular basis.
“As long as our practices are just as hard as our games, I think we’re doing things the right way.”
He concluded, “I think we’re fairly confident in what we’ve got going on here. Coach Daboll (is) calling great games and we’re going out there and executing. My guys just continue to work hard, practice, find new ways to get better and play for each other.
“It takes 10 other guys executing on every single play to have success. … It’s awesome, the guys we have here. I love our team.”
So do Bills fans.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
