Unlike Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes, who have had future Hall of Famers to support them, Josh Allen has not had the same privilege. He also does not have a better head coach or an attacking cohort compared to Jackson and Mahomes. For the most part, it has been a one-man show in Buffalo, and Sunday night was no different.
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Buffalo punched its ticket to the Divisional Round with a gritty 24-27 Wild Card win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game felt far closer than it should have been, and was far more dependent on one player than any team would ideally want.
For the majority of the game, the Bills were trailing, were battered physically, and running out of margin. Yet, Allen grit his teeth and single-handedly turned the tide. And that performance is what prompted NFL analyst Colin Cowherd to deliver one of the strongest quarterback endorsements in recent memory.
“Josh Allen, while trailing today, went 14 of 16 with a 133 passer rating and three total touchdowns,” Cowherd began. “Josh Allen was 90 percent of the Bills’ yards.”
That wasn’t hyperbole. Allen accounted for nearly everything Buffalo produced when it mattered most. On the game-winning drive, Cowherd noted the parallel that sealed his argument. “LeBron-esque. Five for five and 65 of 66 total yards,” he exclaimed.
Basketball legend LeBron James is the embodiment of taking over in crunch time. So comparing him to Allen is quite the compliment. The veteran analyst then compared Allen to yesteryear stars and peers and noted how he finds the Bills star better than all of them.
“I think he’s better than John Elway. I think he’s better than Dan Marino. I think he’s more talented than Mahomes… Forget a superhero. He’s like Zeus. He’s like a god among gods,” Cowherd said.
The analyst’s praise does sound extreme. But it sure makes sense with context. “He was not playing at 100 percent,” Cowherd emphasized, “and yet he wins in Jacksonville.”
“Josh Allen is as good of a football player I’ve ever seen in my life. Better than Elway, better than Marino, more talented than Mahomes”@colincowherd on the Bills QB superhero performance pic.twitter.com/R0RsAiZkal
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) January 12, 2026
Per reports, Allen wasn’t healthy entering the game. He had a right foot sprain. And during the game, he sprained his right index finger, twisted his left knee on a touchdown run, and was briefly evaluated for a concussion before returning.
Josh Allen is currently dealing with the following injuries:
Right hand (2nd finger) – sprain vs. fracture
Left knee – sprain, twisted during TD
Right foot – sprain (several weeks now)Head (evaluated for a concussion, cleared)
I expect him to play through them (as he always…
— Jesse Morse, M.D. (@DrJesseMorse) January 11, 2026
To pull off a decisive performance like what we saw on Sunday with injuries galore truly speaks volumes about Allen’s abilities. Even the numbers back this claim up, as Allen accounted for over 300 total yards against the Jaguars and added three TDs, which push him past franchise legends in the postseason record books.
Allen is now the Buffalo Bills’ all-time leader in playoff yards and total touchdowns. He has 36 postseason scores, more than Jim Kelly managed in his entire playoff career.
Allen has even moved into second place all-time for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the playoffs, trailing only Jalen Hurts. He is also the first QB in NFL history to complete over 80% of his passes while rushing for multiple TDs in a single playoff game.
And to top it all, Allen now has a playoff win in seven consecutive postseasons, joining Patrick Mahomes and sitting one year away from tying Tom Brady’s all-time mark.
While praising Allen, Cowherd also kept things real by acknowledging that for the Bills, “Being totally dependent on one guy isn’t a recipe for success.”
However, when the stakes are high in January, it’s always the special players that tip the scales in a team’s favor. And in Allen, the Bills mafia has a QB who is special in every single game.
