The Josh Allen Disrespect Needs To Stop

There seems to be a weird discourse going on around the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen.

Ever since the Bills’ playoff loss at the hands to the Cincinnati Bengals, fans immediately ran to their keyboards and proudly exclaimed that Josh Allen has been overrated, and that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is superior to the Bills’ alien under center.

To get in front of this, by no means is this meant to be a jab at Burrow – he’s incredible. This is merely to point out that, while the former No. 1 overall pick is an elite quarterback, Allen is superior.

Playoff Numbers

As previously mentioned, playoff success is what fans seem to sprint to when having the Allen vs. Burrow debate. Specifically, the respective playoff records of the two quarterbacks, as well as the lone head-to-head matchup between the two in the postseason. Burrow is 5-2 with the 1-0 record over the Bills, while Allen is 4-4.

However, if Buffalo’s defense holds the Chiefs for 13 seconds, Allen’s record is at minimum 5-3, and perhaps gets better with a potential win over Burrow’s Bengals the following week and perhaps even a Super Bowl win. Is that all hearsay? Sure. However, Allen put on arguably the best performance by a quarterback in NFL history, going 27-of-37 for 329 yards and four touchdowns on the road. That said, the Bills weren’t victorious, which means Allen’s performance gets pushed under the rug.

For comparison, Burrow won his second playoff game without throwing a touchdown pass. He was also sacked nine times, threw an interception, and had to be bailed out by an errant Ryan Tannehill interception to set up a game-winning field goal.

When overall playoff stats are looked at, this isn’t even a conversation. In eight games, Allen has thrown 17 touchdowns – Burrow has thrown for nine scores in seven games. Both quarterbacks have accounted for the same number of interceptions with four. Allen also has a higher passer rating, more yards per game, and more yards per attempt.

Regular Season

When we look at regular season play since 2020, Allen is still superior in almost all categories. Allen’s Buffalo Bills are 37-12 when he starts in that span – Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals are 24-17-1. Allen has also thrown 108 touchdowns to Burrow’s 82.

Advanced stats tell a similar story. Take both players’ EPA + CPOE composite since 2020. Allen is third in the NFL in that span, compared to Burrow who is in fifth. Allen is second in adjusted EPA per play, behind only Patrick Mahomes – Burrow sits in 10th place. Additionally, Allen has been more efficient in that time span. While Burrow is 15th in success rate since 2020, Allen is third.

Again, this piece isn’t meant to dunk on Joe Burrow. He deserves his flowers and is without a doubt one of the three best quarterbacks in the game today. Everyone needs to take a step back, though, and see the entire picture. When Burrow’s defense rose to the occasion, Allen’s has let him down in more situations than one. The individual numbers don’t lie, though, and they make a statement – Allen is the superior quarterback.

Featured Image: AP Photo/Adrian Kraus