After five consecutive seasons of stellar performances, Josh Allen finally managed to secure his first regular-season MVP award. The face of the Buffalo Bills’ franchise has long been regarded as one of the most talented signal callers in the league today; however, he still faces his fair share of naysayers.
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Nevertheless, Carolina Panthers legend Cam Newton suggests that Allen is the “elite… gamechanger” that he has been advertised to be.
“It’s three things… Number one, scrambling ability. Now, with that scrambling ability, there’s two parts. Are you scrambling to extend the play to throw, or are you scrambling to make a play with your legs. And thirdly, he’s still a quarterback who throws the ball at an elite level.”
The modern age of football isn’t very accommodating to sentry-like pocket passers, as it almost demands that a quarterback present some semblance of mobility. In the eyes of Newton, the Bills’ QB1 has it in spades.
According to the 2015 MVP, Allen’s performance against the Denver Broncos in the AFC’s Wild Card round, specifically his 24-yard touchdown pass to Ty Johnson, is a perfect example of his game-breaking abilities.
“It’s not pretty bro, so I’m extending the play. They do a good job with trying to contain him, which you oftentimes have to do. Guys like Josh Allen, guys like Lamar Jackson, we have to find ways to stay in our rush lanes… He is extending the play and extending the play, and then the play is made.”
Even though his 2024 metrics mark the lowest of his career since 2019, Allen managed to produce 3,731 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, and 6 interceptions, all while maintaining a league-leading 77.3 QBR. Heading into the 2025 regular season, those exact numbers figure to be his floor.
With a current career average of 4,048 passing yards per season, Allen projects to once again be in the MVP conversation by the end of the 2025 season. Seeing as there was a difference of 575 passing yards between last year’s performance and his 2023 regular season campaign, it would likely be viewed as a disappointment were the three-time Pro Bowler to produce anything less.
He’s yet to beat Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs, but Allen seems to be as capable as ever of doing so in 2016. While he’ll certainly need a bit of help from the defense along the way, the 29-year-old veteran is primed to surpass his MVP award-winning season.
Unfortunately, it seems as if Newton may be unaware of the fact that Allen is averaging 10 rushing touchdowns per season. Meaning that, should the Bills’ signal caller maintain his current rate, he’ll be set up perfectly to break Newton’s record for the most rushing touchdowns by any NFL quarterback in their career.
