The Rise of Josh Allen

Author: Sal Vassallo

Editor: Mark Awadallah

With the 6th pick in the 2018 NFL draft, the Buffalo Bills select Josh Allen, Quarterback from Wyoming. In 2018 the Buffalo Bills were in search of a new signal caller. Coming off a season in which they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the wildcard game, the Bills had finally ended their 18-year playoff drought, despite losing they were headed in the right direction. While then QB Tyrod Taylor helped the team make the playoffs, it appeared the Bills were still in the hunt for a new signal caller. They appeared to pick a great time as the 2018 draft was known as the year of the quarterback, with five top QB prospects up for grabs in Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Josh Rosen, and Josh Allen. With Mayfield and Darnold off the board, the Bills decided to go with the player with a big arm from Wyoming, that being Josh Allen. Allen was known for having an exceptionally strong arm with the ability to make all the throws the Bills need.

The two main chips on Josh Allen’s shoulder are his lesser competition playing at a smaller school like Wyoming and his accuracy. While his accuracy issues showed his rookie season, he finished with a low 52 completion percentage. However, the raw talent with Josh Allen was something Bills fans could get excited about. Allen has displayed not only the ability to throw the ball deep but his creativity with his legs, truly a sight to behold. In his second year, the Bills continued building around their franchise QB by bolstering their offensive line with signings such as center Mitch Morse. In year two, Josh Allen would improve from his year one statistics, finishing with 3089 passing yards (over 1000 yards more than his rookie year), twenty touchdowns, and nine interceptions. His completion percentage was still at a mediocre 58 and the Bills were beaten by the Texans in a heartbreaking loss in their wildcard game last year. However, Josh Allen had taken the next step to becoming the man in Buffalo.

Fast forward to 2020 and Allen now finds himself in the MVP conversation. Once we get to the offseason, the Bills wanted to help Josh Allen with his accuracy. One great way to do that is to have a reliable receiver to catch Allen’s throws. This is where Minnesota steps in. In 2019, the Minnesota Vikings were a good team, and the emergence of receiver Adam Theilen has pushed fellow receiver Stefon Diggs further down on the depth chart. Diggs clashes constantly with his feelings on his role in the offense. Diggs, known as a deep ball threat, had a huge problem as Vikings QB Kirk Cousins had a bit of trouble when it came to throwing a clean deep ball. After a year of frustrations, the Vikings shipped Diggs to Buffalo for a boatload of draft capital from Buffalo including a first rounder in 2020. With the pandemic ensuing, fans questioned whether Diggs and Josh Allen could build chemistry fast enough for the start of the season with training camp being so short. As it turns out, Diggs and Allen are a match made in heaven.

Compared to year one, Allen now has a bolstered O line and a receiving corps of Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley. The Bills have done a terrific job building around Allen and the team of head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll have coached Allen into some great numbers this season. Heading into week 17 Allen has 4,320 passing yards with 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He has helped Buffalo win the AFC East for the first time since 1995 and has finally broken New England’s vice grip on the division. As the Bills now March into the playoffs a stronger team than last year I would consider them a favorite to at least make the AFC title game. They currently hold the number two seed in the AFC and are slated to take on the Cleveland Browns at home if the playoffs started today. This rise in power for Allen and the Bills is nothing short of spectacular and I alongside other fans are expecting them to make a deep run this year.

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