The Buffalo Bills are looking to overtake the AFC East now that Tom Brady has left New England, and leading them there may be the future NFL MVP.
Josh Allen has been one of the best players in the NFL through the first three weeks of the season. Many have questioned whether the former No. 7 overall pick has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback, but he certainly looks every bit the part through the first few weeks of 2020.
Through three games, Allen has thrown for 1,038 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has a passer rating of 126.7 and has thrown just one interception. One of the knocks against him is his downfield accuracy, but Allen has vastly improved in that department. He had the most deep-ball completions of any quarterback in the NFL heading into Week 3, and he completed several more in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Rams.
In addition to looking like an elite passer this season, Allen is also more than capable of making plays with his legs. He has 84 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns thus far, which is not a surprise after he ran for 17 touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons.
The addition of wide receiver Stefon Diggs has helped Buffalo’s passing game, but there’s no debating Allen has taken a huge step forward. Great NFL quarterbacks often make a leap in their third season, and that’s exactly what we’ve seen from Allen thus far.
Granted, the Bills’ competition has not been great. Allen faced the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins in Weeks 1 and 2, and they’re not exactly playoff contenders. However, he completed 24-of-33 passes for 311 yards, four touchdowns and an interception against Jalen Ramsey and L.A.’s solid secondary on Sunday.
But wait, there’s more.
Allen and the Bills jumped out to a 28-3 lead on Sunday and watched it disappear. The former Wyoming star wasn’t rattled and led Buffalo on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. The Bills had some help with a controversial penalty call and ultimately got the win.
Three games is not a large sample size, and Allen will have to prove he can sustain this level of play (or something close to it) over a full season. Regardless, those three games have hardly looked like a fluke. Allen is arguably the most improved player in the NFL, and he deserves to be squarely in the MVP conversation if the trend continues.
