With the new generation of quarterbacks that have dominated the NFL for a few years now, it makes analysts and fans ask one question: Who would they pick on their team? And if a legendary coach like Mike Tomlin had to pick one among them, he would choose the Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen.
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“It’d be Josh for me, man,” former Pittsburgh Steelers’ legendary coach Tomlin said during an appearance on the PFF NFL Show on September 7. “It just seems like he’s at his best in the most critical moments. Late in the games, he finds a way to do it, and he can do it with his arms. He can do it with his legs. He looks like not only does he want it, he needs it. He looks like he’s built for it. I got a lot of respect for that dude.”
Notably, Tomlin chose Allen over three-time All-Pro Lamar Jackson and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes!
The reason is his ability to step up in crucial moments. That could be seen in his performances in the playoffs. In the last five playoffs, Allen has achieved a 116.7 passer rating on third-down passes during the second half of one-score games, according to Bleacher Report.
But the scale of his clutch performances doesn’t end there. Since 2020, he has recorded 33 combined passing and rushing touchdowns against just seven interceptions in fourth-quarter one-score games. One of his biggest moments came against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in November 2024. With 2:17 left, he scored a fourth-down rushing touchdown to give Buffalo a 30-21 win and hand the Chiefs their first loss of the season.
Most recently, last season in the Week 1 game against Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens, Allen stepped up, completing 33 of 46 passes for 394 yards and having four touchdowns in total, leading the Bills to a comeback 41-40 victory.
This understates how crucial Allen has been for the Bills. In a game governed by points, scoring more touchdowns easily makes you a dominant team, and Allen has been the Bills’ primary TD source since he was picked No. 7 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
He broke the record for the fastest player to reach 300 touchdowns in NFL history, accomplishing the feat in 127 games, with the previous record held by Aaron Rodgers at 134 games. He also became the first quarterback to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in a game in the league’s history, against the San Francisco 49ers on December 1, 2024.
While a Super Bowl appearance still awaits Allen, in the meantime, he has earned four Pro Bowl selections, the 2020 NFL PFWA Most Improved Player award, and the 2024 NFL AP MVP honor. Allen has also been named in the NFL Top 100 seven consecutive times, taking second place this year, his highest ranking so far.
As the season approaches, Allen has one goal that he has been eyeing for years now: a Lombardi Trophy. While the Bills have been the only team to appear in four consecutive Super Bowl games, from 1990 to 1993, losing all four, they have since not made it to the final game, and Allen has locked in the goal this time.
“The only thing that I’m worried about is doing everything I can to bring a Lombardi Trophy here,” Allen said in August last year.
Though the Super Bowl is the goal, it all starts with the Week 1 game against the Houston Texans on September 13, and their head coach has also heaped praise on Allen, calling him an “incredible” player.
It seems like Allen is getting praise from every corner of the sport, but that doesn’t change the fact that he still needs that Super Bowl tag to be called among the greats, and he looks determined to end the drought.