When it comes to NFL quarterback matchups, it doesn’t get any better than Patrick Mahomes vs Josh Allen. While obviously these two aren’t asked to defend eachother, all anyone will talk about post-game is why the other QB fell short of their goals. That’s just how NFL QBs are judged.
When the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Buffalo Bills, all eyes are on the guy under center, whether he’s scrambling to make something out of nothing, or using his otherworldly arm strength to flick a football 60+ yards down field. Either way, once that ball is snapped, everyone is tuned into No. 15 and No. 17, curiously awaiting to see what magic two of the NFL’s best QBs today can create.
Sports fans love to debate. Who’s the best QB of all-time? Who’s the best QB right now? Right now, many would point to players like expected MVP winner Lamar Jackson. Others, still say Patrick Mahomes holds the crown, until someone else can rise above.
But what about Josh Allen? The Buffalo Bills QB is surely in the mix. On Sunday, Allen hopes to slay the dragon of Mahomes and the Chiefs once and for all. If so, many will suggest he’s the greatest today, or certainly in the mix.
But we’re not to Sunday yet, so how do Allen and Mahomes compare right now? Let’s have a look.
As a combined runner and passer, no one does it better than Josh Allen
When thinking of the best rushing or scrambling quarterbacks today, the list has to start with Lamar Jackson, then the other top rushers like Justin Fields, or even Jalen Hurts come to mind. After tying an NFL record with 15 rushing touchdowns, Hurts deserves some consideration.
Yet, do you know who else Hurts tied with that record and wasn’t doing tush pushes all year long? None other than Josh Allen, who also had 15 rushing touchdowns this season, and ranked fourth among all NFL QBs in rushing yards in 2023.
When it comes to putting the team on his back, no one does it more consistently than Allen, who ranked second among all QBs with 57 rushing first downs this season. Hurts had 11 more, but that came on 46 more rushing attempts, and a lot of the tush push.
While the Bills ask a lot out of their franchise QB, in an ideal world, he wouldn’t have to do the work himself once his protection breaks down. Instead, the Bills want Allen going through his reads, finding the open receiver, if they exist.
| Player | Comp. Rate | Passing Yds | Pass TD | INT | Rush Yds | Rush TD | Total TD | PFF Grade |
| Patrick Mahomes (16 games) | 67.2% | 4,183 | 27 | 14 | 389 | 0 | 27 | 85.1 |
| Josh Allen (17 games) | 66.5% | 4,306 | 29 | 18 | 524 | 15 | 44 | 91.3 |
But when it comes to his overall talent, whether he’s being forced to run, or drop back and pass, is there really anyone better than Allen at doing both?
No one had more touchdowns, (44), and no one had more combined yards, than Allen. Oh, and by the way, he also had the NFL’s best sack rate, or to put it another way, no one avoided sacks better than Buffalo’s QB this past season. Mahomes averaged more passing yards per game (261.4 to Allen’s 253.3), had fewer interceptions, and completed passes at a higher rate, but who was more lethal? It was definitely Allen.
Related: See where Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen land in Sportsnaut’s 2024 NFL QB Rankings
Patrick Mahomes still holds title as NFL’s best arm
While Josh Allen may have the edge when it comes to bulldozing through defenses, Patrick Mahomes II is built a bit differently. Instead of picking up so many extra first downs with his legs, Mahomes is still at his best when moving around the pocket to create bigger plays with his arm downfield.
Others, like Allen, have a similar amount of arm strength, but when it comes to being able to rip it while adjusting arm angles, and delivering accurate passes in tight windows, it’s hard to find anyone consistently better than Mahomes.
According to Pro Football Focus, only two quarterbacks had a higher adjusted completion rate than Mahomes’ 78.3%. But no one fell victim to more dropped passes than Mahomes, who saw his receiving corps let 31 passes slip through their hands. Just imagine, if each of those drops turned into completions, Mahomes’ completion rating would have led the NFL at 72.3% instead of ranking eighth among qualified passers.
While Mahomes’ stats may not rival the NFL’s very best this season, he hasn’t taken a step back as a passer. He’s still the best passing QB the NFL has to offer. No matter what happened during the regular season, now that the playoffs have begun, Mahomes can do what what’s practically become second nature, which is reach at least the AFC Championship game, as he’s done every year of his NFL career. Unless, Allen and the Bills can finally defeat the Chiefs in the playoffs, and get past the Divisional round for the first time since 2020.
As to which QB is better? Allen is the better combined runner/passer, but Mahomes is still a better all-around passer. Both teams would be lost without them. When Allen is on, there is no one better. But when Mahomes is on, as we’ve seen, there truly is no one better, and he has the two Super Bowl rings to prove it.
Either way, whichever QB advances, NFL fans will get to see one of the game’s best get one step closer to the Super Bowl. Yet, there’s another set of AFC quarterbacks who may get in their way.
