For the first time in years, the NFL’s quarterback hierarchy has a new name at No. 1. And no, it’s not Patrick Mahomes.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped the network’s annual quarterback rankings on Monday, and Josh Allen came out on top. The Bills quarterback edged Mahomes, who had held the crown for what felt like forever. It’s the first time Allen finished first in the voting, which polled more than 70 NFL executives, scouts and coaches around the league.
Here’s the thing about the voting: Mahomes actually got more first-place votes, 41.5 percent to Allen’s 34.1 percent. But Allen’s average ranking per ballot was 2.10, just slightly better than Mahomes’ number. That consistency across the board pushed him over the top.
“Allen has long pushed to supplant Mahomes, but he had to fight for every vote to finally make that happen,” Fowler wrote.
There’s a reason for that fight. Allen is a freak. He’s the only player in NFL history with at least 200 passing touchdowns and 50 rushing touchdowns. Defenses have to account for him as a runner in a way they don’t for almost any other quarterback. One general manager told Fowler: “He’s the most singularly unstoppable player at the position when you get his A-game. And he has cut down on the turnovers the past two seasons.”
That last part is key. Allen’s turnover issues have been a thing his whole career. He’s gotten better, but they still pop up at the worst times. Remember the playoff game against Denver last year? Yeah, that one hurt.
But the highs are so high that teams live with the occasional bad decision. One NFL coordinator put it bluntly: “You live with him and die with him. You can’t get mad at him because he won a lot of games for you with a similar style and he was so good.”
So now the question is whether Allen and the Bills can finally get over the hump and make a Super Bowl run. They’ve been close before. The roster is still loaded. And with Allen playing at this level, maybe this is the year it all comes together.
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