There were years the Green Bay Packers didn’t have a Super Bowl-caliber roster, but that didn’t stop pundits from constantly picking them to advance to the big game because they had Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Even today that respect hasn’t diminished for Rodgers. He’s now a middle-aged quarterback coming off a significant Achilles injury playing for a franchise with a 13-year playoff drought, and still, many picked the New York Jets to make the postseason.
With the way Josh Allen has played to start the season, including in Thursday night’s dominant 31–10 victory over the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills’ star quarterback is well on his way to earning the kind of respect Rodgers has had for many years.
It’s somewhat strange that Allen’s previous stellar seasons weren't enough to convince the masses that the Bills would be fine without Stefon Diggs, the star receiver who was traded to the Houston Texans in the offseason. There’s this perception out there that Diggs turned Allen into a top-five quarterback. Sure, the former All-Pro wideout helped with Allen’s development, but once he improved his accuracy and played with more composure, it was easy to see his elite traits were superior to most quarterbacks.
Or maybe it wasn’t easy to tell because the Bills received very little hype this offseason as Super Bowl contenders. They were also overlooked in the AFC East, a division the Bills have won four consecutive seasons, because of Rodgers’s return with the Jets. And there was the ESPN player survey that had Allen as the most overrated quarterback in the league, which was surprising and now comical with the Bills having a 2–0 record.
Last week, Allen put on his Superman cape and carried the Bills to a come-from-behind Week 1 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. Allen didn’t need to do as much Thursday night after his defense contained the Dolphins’ playmakers, including Tyreek Hill. But Allen’s jaw-dropping throw that hung on a rope for a 33-yard completion to Ty Johnson at the 1-yard line was another reminder that the Bills are going to be fine despite losing a few key veterans.
An obvious indicator of a special quarterback is how they elevate the game of others. So far Allen has done that, even though his former star receiver now plays for the Texans, a team he might come across in January. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s focus on what we know, and that’s the Bills being heavy AFC East favorites again.
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made that this might be Allen’s best team, which shouldn’t be confused with best roster. Again, the Bills are missing a star wide receiver, but Allen seems to be at his best when he’s spreading the ball around. He targeted 10 players in Week 1 and leaned on running back James Cook to defeat the Dolphins on Thursday. Cook rushed for 78 yards and scored three total touchdowns. Allen went 13-of-19 for 139 yards, one touchdown and didn’t commit a turnover.
Going back to the big picture, part of the reason why Allen hasn’t received Rodgers-like respect might be because he hasn’t gotten the Bills to the Super Bowl and hasn’t defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Waiting to crown the Bills as true contenders is understandable. Calling Allen overrated and overlooking the Bills as a playoff team because of a few roster tweaks is where many got it wrong.
The Dolphins also received some attention as potential threats to dethrone the Bills because they have several speedy playmakers. But so far all of that talent hasn’t been enough to beat the Bills, who have a five-game winning streak over the Dolphins. It was a tough day for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who threw three interceptions before exiting early with a concussion. Hill only contributed three catches for 24 yards.
Tagovailoa has a strong grasp of McDaniel’s offense, evident by how confidently he delivered the ball to his playmakers in the first half. There were a handful of nifty reverse flips to wide receivers for positive gains and a few no-look shovel passes to running backs and tight ends to move the chains. The rhythm and timing that Tagovailoa plays with around the line of scrimmage is impressive and certainly effective at times.
But the extra razzle and dazzle from Tagovailoa doesn’t strike fear into opposing defenses. That’s what separates Tagovailoa and Allen. When the Bills’ signal-caller goes into his version of playing point guard, it often leads to touchdowns. Defenses panic when they see Allen scrambling away from the pocket because he’s either going to bulldoze a defensive back for extra yards on the ground or throw a laser downfield, similar to the 33-yard rope he unleashed to Johnson.
With many saying quarterbacks are overpaid, Allen is earning his massive contract extension early this season and he’s far from overrated.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Josh Allen, Bills Again Prove the AFC East Runs Through Buffalo.
