SI’s Albert Breer thinks that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is firmly in MVP consideration through two games.
The Buffalo Bills have gotten off to a fast start in the 2024 NFL season, as they’re a perfect 2-0 to commence after dominating the Miami Dolphins 31-10 on the road last Thursday night. Several players have flashed throughout the first two games of the campaign, but it’s (expectedly) their quarterback who’s receiving the loudest local and national praise.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer wrote about Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen in his NFL Week 2 takeaways article, noting that the former All-Pro is firmly in NFL MVP contention at this point in the season.
“I think Josh Allen has to be in everyone’s MVP conversations until further notice,” Breer wrote in his article. “Yes, it’s only Week 2. But the Buffalo Bills’ quarterback is, in a lot of ways, showing signs that he can do things similar to what Patrick Mahomes did the past two years: guiding a team that’s getting younger through a roster reset, as the transition from having a quarterback on a rookie deal to one on a big second contract takes shape.”
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Allen has started the season as good as a quarterback could with a 73.8% completion percentage for 371 yards and three touchdowns, adding 41 rushing yards and two more scores on the ground. The only blemish to his season was the opening drive of the team’s Week 1 win, as he fumbled on a Roy Lopez strip sack. Since then, he’s been as good as any quarterback in the NFL.
Breer added that despite losing multiple key players on offense and defense, Allen has stepped up and taken the team to different heights.
“He was under control,” Breer wrote. “He was a leader. The team never seemed to have much doubt in how the night would play out [in Week 2], the same way it maintained confidence four days earlier when the Bills fell behind early against the Arizona Cardinals. It was also, really, just a continuation of how the team has followed the lead of Allen, who’s stepped up as a leader all offseason.
Allen’s role as a leader has been discussed throughout the entire offseason, as people at all levels of the organization have noted his growth in that area of the game. After the win against Miami, Bills head coach Sean McDermott credited Allen with spearheading a team-first mentality throughout the team.
The approach was seen firsthand on Thursday night as Allen threw just 139 yards on 19 passing attempts. It was a run-heavy attack for Buffalo, as it rushed for 108 yards on 26 total attempts (including Mitchell Trubisky’s two late-game kneel-downs). Allen wasn’t asked to play Superman in the win, and he kept his cape off and celebrated as his teammates found consistent success.
Several more stat lines like the one he constructed against Miami likely won’t garner Allen MVP consideration, but it’s his Week 1 performance, demonstrated past dominance, and growth as a leader that make him a compelling MVP candidate at this juncture. He’ll look to continue to round out his resume as the season progresses.