Is Bills' Josh Allen overrated? Taking closer look at 2x Pro Bowl QB's NFL career
Josh Allen and the Bills have established themselves as the top team in the AFC East, breaking the hegemony that lay with Tom Brady and the Patriots for close to two decades. He has taken them to multiple playoff appearances and they are currently in the midst of a postseason streak that dates back to 2019.
Since the early 1990s, when the Bills heartbreakingly lost four Super Bowls, they have never had such a productive streak. Josh Allen has made them contenders and compiled a 63-30 regular season record in the games he has featured. Since 2020, every season has seen him throwing more than 4,000 yards and rushing more than 500 yards. He has 167 passing touchdowns and 53 rushing touchdowns in 94 games.
But at the same time, he has never made a Super Bowl appearance. His compatriots, who are franchise quarterbacks from his age and generation, are Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, and one may even say Brock Purdy. All of them have appeared in the Championship game.
So, what is the reality of the situation? Is Josh Allen an elite quarterback worthy of being placed in the same company as the quarterbacks above? Or is he merely a pretender? We dive in more to find out.
Is Bills' Josh Allen overrated?
It's hard to argue that Josh Allen is overrated. Judging a quarterback based on team victories is always a tough ask. By that metric, Jim Plunkett and Eli Manning are better quarterbacks than Dan Marino and anybody who has seen them play knows that is not a good conclusion to draw.
Josh Allen has not reached the Super Bowl. But he has been pipped to the post by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in heartbreaking fashion over the past few seasons. One time, when the Bills star was in the form of his life, they lost to the Chiefs because overtime rules at the time dictated that whoever scored first went through. Last year, a flubbed kick was all that separated the teams.
He also has faced a problem that someone like Aaron Rodgers can identify. Just like he had Davante Adams as his only elite receiver in Green Bay, Josh Allen has had to deal with just Stefon Diggs as his top weapon. Players like Gabe Davis and Cole Beasley can hardly be categorized in the same bracket, as good as they are.
In the meantime, he has seen Patrick Mahomes play with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce to get his first ring. Joe Burrow gets to throw to Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase. Jalen Hurts has A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Brock Purdy plays with Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Christian McCaffrey.
His 149.0 passer rating in the 2022 postseason is a playoff record. It shows that he does not wilt under pressure. He has scored 40 total touchdowns for four straight seasons, which is also the first time a player has ever achieved it. These are not numbers that an average player can get.
Judging Josh Allen by what his team has been able to do is unfair. This season, he again has to deal with Keon Coleman, a rookie, as his primary wide receiver. He has been elite for a long time and he is the reason that Buffalo regularly makes the list of Super Bowl favorites.
Not winning the ultimate prize is something that he will surely seek to correct. But in a league built for parity, it is easier said than done. If he plays at his best and still fails, that should not be a reason to deem a generational player like him overrated.