It has been a pretty dramatic rise from project quarterback in 2018 to one of the best players at his position for Josh Allen. The Buffalo Bills star quarterback is coming off yet another brilliant season and is prepared to lead his Bills to championship contention in 2022.
For Allen and the Bills, it starts Thursday night in Los Angeles against Matthew Stafford and the defending Super Bowl champion Rams. It’s a potential statement game for the former No. 7 overall pick and his team.
Leading up to that season opener, NFL executives around the league were polled about who they thought would come away with the NFL MVP award. Unsurprisingly, a majority of them picked Allen while throwing a ton of praise in the quarterback’s direction.
“He’s got everything around him that he needs—Buffalo might have the best roster in the league—and he’s set up for another massive season. There’s been enough growth as a passer where you’re encouraged.”
NFL executive on Josh Allen, via ESPN’S Jeremy Fowler
There’s other obvious names included in the top candidates to come away with the NFL MVP. That includes fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. Meanwhile, Baltimore Ravens star and former league MVP Lamar Jackson has to be seen as an underrated candidate.
Related: Josh Allen and top 2022 NFL MVP candidates
Josh Allen as NFL MVP favorite
As a rookie back in 2018, Allen was seen as a major project. He threw just 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions while fumbling the ball eight times. The former Wyoming star has been on an upward trajectory since, starting with his sophomore campaign in which he threw 20 touchdowns against nine interceptions. However, it’s been Allen’s performance over the past two seasons that has opened some eyes.
- Josh Allen stats (2020-21): 66% completion, 8,951 passing yards, 1,184 rushing yards, 87 total TD, 25 INT, 99.2 QB rating
Those numbers are just absurd. And at only 26 years old, Allen is just now hitting his prime. Working under new Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey following the departure of Brian Daboll, it looks like that relationship is taking hold.
“I feel like having a good feel for him on kind of how he reacts to things, the things he likes, the things he doesn’t like, and I think all that’s really important. I think you’d be crazy as a coordinator not to have the input of your quarterback or the guys on the offense.”
Ken Dorsey on Josh Allen
If Allen and his Bills open up the season with a big-time performnace against the Los Angeles Rams Thursday night, it will put the league on notice. In the process, his status as an MVP candidate will be clarified even more.