Bills Mafia Poll: Where does Josh Allen Rank Following Week 2?

September 19th went just about as perfect as perfect can be for the Buffalo Bills. They won 35-0 and had players and positional groups balling throughout the entire game. Special teams were way better, and I mean way better. Singletary and Moss were awesome. Good thing they had the ladder playing this time. The O-Line held up pretty well amidst a much worse pass-rush when compared to Pittsburgh’s. Defensively, the Bills had a fantastic game. Milano, Epenesa (with nine pressures), Taron Johnson, and Greg Rousseau were especially impressive. I asked that this team smack Miami in the face, and they did. Everyone from coaching to depth played extremely well and came out with way more urgency. Everyone except for the Bills’ 250 Million dollar Quarterback. In today’s article, I asked Bills Mafia where they view Josh Allen in the ranks of other Quarterbacks around the league. The results are interesting. 

Top 5 (19%)

Allen came into this season ranked within this parameter. Some analysts had Allen ranked as high as two, and amongst Bills Mafia and the rest of the NFL landscape, Allen was a favorite to win MVP. To view Josh in the “top 5” lens is tougher now. With many quarterbacks already blowing their expectations for this season out of the water. Players like Derek Carr, Kyler Murray, and even Captain Kirk have had better statistical outings thus far. Josh has had a quieter season through two weeks. Roughly 450 yards, 3/1 in touchdowns and interceptions, with a 57% completion percentage.

This is 2019, Josh. The overthrows, his ball placement, it’s like we’ve all seen this movie before. I don’t think it’s all on QB1, though. Brian Daboll has had a rough and weird start to the season. It just feels like a lack of urgency to me, a lack of hunger. Last year the duo of Allen and Daboll came out with something to prove and had defenses at their mercy for the entire season. Once again, the offense needs some new stuff. On Sunday, they incorporated the run more. Maybe that’ll help open the passing attack next week against a below-average secondary. In conclusion, we know what Josh can be. He has to shake the rust off and build back that confidence. I do not doubt that Josh will finish the season as a top-5 QB in the league; he isn’t there right now.

Top 10 (32%)

This is where I view Allen as of right now, and a third of the Mafia agrees. He’s getting so much attention from the defense, forcing the offense into practically not using him. The heavy run attack worked against Miami, as they were keen on taking all downfield options away. I think the biggest thing to take away from that is that Josh truly only cares about winning.

Last season, the team needed him to take over and make risky plays downfield. With the massive bison-sized target on the Bills’ head, the team has to find a new lane of creativity. Within a couple of weeks, we’ll see some patented Josh Allen games. Expect him to go off against WFT, Tennessee, and Jacksonville truly, as all of these teams have weaker secondaries. Essentially, we all need to develop some patience and trust our guy. 

Top 15 (13%)

I think top 15 is a reach. This is the Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, Teddy Bridgewater range. While it’s true that those players have better statistical seasons thus far, it isn’t very sensible to rank them ahead of the runner-up for MVP. If your view of the NFL is on a season-to-season basis, then yeah, Josh is probably in the 11-15 range right now. What I do know is that Buffalo has played two pretty good defenses thus far.

Pittsburgh stands out obviously, and Miami is equipped with one of the best secondaries in the league. If Derek Carr, for example, played those two teams, his stat-line would more than likely be in the same ballpark. Once again, Josh hasn’t gotten a fair chance to shine yet, and I think the perfect opportunity to do so is against the nation’s capital team. Go kick some Football Team ass, Josh. 

Needs Improvement (36%)

Once again, a little far-fetched, in my opinion. He’s done a pretty good job within the parameters that he’s given in play-calling, offensive line, lack of a run game, etc. He’s playing winning football, and that’s all we as fans should ask for. Just because Allen was the runner-up for the MVP last year doesn’t mean he has to be as statistically dominant to win games and produce. Look at Mahomes’ progression from his MVP year to his Super Bowl year. His numbers went down after his historic 2018 season.

Defenses around the league put everything possible into shutting him down. The same thing is happening with #17. I mean, look at the situation from Josh’s point of view. He’s got an elite defense and an o-line that improved mightily from week one. Pair that with a best-friend receiver and a coaching staff that has full trust in him, and I see a Super Bowl contending QB.

Thanks for the feedback on recent posts, especially on twitter. If you want to be a part of future polling processes make sure to follow me @SemiAverageRigs, see y’all next week. Go Bills.