Third-year Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen entered the league back in 2018 scene as a major project. Issues relating to accuracy plagued Allen during his career with Wyoming.
Once Buffalo selected Allen No. 7 overall that year, most figured it would take a few years before he became an NFL-caliber quarterback.
Since then, Allen has proven all the naysayers wrong. He led Buffalo to a surprising playoff appearance as a sophomore last season and had the team at 2-0 heading into Sunday’s game against another undefeated squad in that of the Los Angeles Rams.
A game that saw Buffalo open up a 28-3 lead ultimately ended in controversial fashion after the Rams came all the way back. Despite this questionable end, Allen continued to show his stuff.
The quarterback completed 24-of-33 passes for 311 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. For good measure, he added a rushing score before leading Buffalo on a game-winning 80-yard drive to move to 3-0 on the young season.
Allen entered Sunday’s game having accounted for north of 800 total yards with seven touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 122.8 quarterback rating. He only added to that in a big way against what had been a stingy Rams defense through two weeks.
Now, it has us thinking
Is Josh Allen a legit 2020 NFL MVP candidate?
By virtue of this performance, Allen has gone for over 1,100 total yards with 12 touchdowns and one interception through three games.
Projected over the course of a 16-game season, this would have Allen at nearly 5,900 total yards with 64 touchdowns and five interceptions. Statistically speaking, it would be the greatest single-season performance for a quarterback in NFL history.
We’re obviously ways away from any of that coming to fruition. What we do know is that Allen compares favorably to other top-end quarterbacks in the NFL, Russell Wilson included.
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In addition to his individual stats, Allen has Buffalo averaging 32 points per game and as one of the most-explosive offenses in the NFL.
Bigger names such as the above-mentioned Wilson as well as Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes will continue to get MVP play moving forward. Reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Kyler Murray is also a hot name right now.
But at some point, we have to give Allen credit for how he has transformed under center since initially looking like a major project just three short years ago.
Allen has his Bills at 3-0 and as the overwhelming favorite in the AFC East. He’s playing tremendous football. The team is rallying behind him. Sunday’s dramatic win over Los Angeles only adds another layer to this.
Josh Allen is a legit NFL MVP candidate.