Why was Josh Allen snubbed from Pro Bowl 2024? Exploring reasons behind Bills star's exclusion
Josh Allen is not a Pro Bowler in the 2023-24 season.
Actually, there is a Josh Allen on the AFC's Pro Bowl roster that was revealed on Wednesday. But it is the Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker who has had 61 tackles (40 solo), a career-high 16.5 sacks, and an interception to make his first appearance since his rookie campaign.
But the Buffalo Bills quarterback of the same name? He is nowhere to be found. Instead, it is his divisional rival, the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa, who will start for the conference. So what happened?
Reasons for Josh Allen's absence from 2024 Pro Bowl
1) A statistical regression in the passing department
First of all, there are some Josh Allen rushing milestones that must be acknowledged:
- Week 9 at Cincinnati Bengals - 44th career rushing touchdown, surpassing Steve Young for most by a quarterback in NFL history
- Week 15 vs Dallas Cowboys - 10th straight game with at least one passing and rusging touchdown each, surpassing the Arizona Cardinals' Kyler Murray
- Week 17 vs New England Patriots - 15th rushing touchdown of 2023, tying the single-season record
However, as a passer, he has lost some luster. While he is still on track to hit 4,000 yards again, it is still a somewhat far cry from the 4,544 that he amassed in his 2020 breakout. That year, the Bills reached the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the days of Jim Kelly, a feat that they have yet to repeat.
His passing touchdown count has also gone down, from 35 touchdowns in 2022 to just 27 in 2023. Meanwhile, his interception count has increased by two from 14.
2. Ken Dorsey's inconsistency
It is no secret that Allen loved former offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.
When Brian Daboll left in 2022 to join the New York Giants as their head coach, the quarterback vouched for Sean McDermott to promote the then-quarterbacks coach. And it initially weny very well, with the Bills tying their franchise-best 13-3 record (their game against the Bengals was cancelled after safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest in the first quarter).
That trend looked set to continue into 2023. But after Allen had his first perfect rating, the offense suddenly regressed, with instances of not scoring in the first half aplenty. Dorsey was identified as a primary culprit, and he was gone after a devastating loss to the Denver Broncos.
Placeholder Joe Brady has since righted the ship somewhat with a 5-1 run and a chance at a fourth divisional title, but the damage may have been done.
3. Receivers failing to perform as expected
Like Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs is not in the Pro Bowl; and is it easy to see why.
In his first season as a Bill, he was very prolific, leading the league with a monstrous 127 receptions for 1,535 yards. The next two years were obviously not as statistically huge, but still enough for a Pro Bowl; and he had a career-high 11 touchdowns in 2022.
But in 2023, he has only 1,096 yards and eight touchdowns from 96 catches - a rather steep decline for a elite wideout.
And it is not as if Diggs is the only example. Gabe Davis has yet to have a thousand-yarder, while tight end Dawson Knox initially struggled with a wrist injury.
But there is still a way for Allen to reach the Pro Bowl. If one of Tagovailoa, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson either suffers an injury or reaches the Super Bowl, it will most likely cause a withdrawal.