The NFL has always thrived on its quarterback debates. Joe Montana vs. Dan Marino, Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, legends measured by rings, stats, and that ineffable clutch gene. It’s the league’s eternal drama, played out in bars, living rooms. And yes, on hot-take sports panels. So when the latest rankings dared to place Josh Allen above the seemingly untouchable Patrick Mahomes, the reaction wasn’t just surprising; it was a full-blown gridiron grenade lobbed into the Chiefs Kingdom. Cue the scathing remarks.

The spark? A segment on FS1’s Speak, where Joy Taylor posed the question burning up fan forums: “Do you agree that Allen should be ranked ahead of Mahomes?” Paul Pierce, the Hall of Fame hoopster turned analyst, didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, I think he should be ranked ahead of Mahomes because this is based off what have you done for me lately?” Pierce argued, setting the stage for a Mahomes critique that felt like questioning the laws of physics in Arrowhead.

Pierce’s perspective: Does defense win championships?

Pierce doubled down, acknowledging Mahomes’s Super Bowl LVIII win, but shifting the credit: “I know Mahomes got him to a Super Bowl. But we know that this Kansas City Chiefs team was built around their defense… they don’t get the credit for carrying them… through the regular season, but to the Super Bowl.” The crux of his argument rested on recent stats: “When you look statistically, Mahomes wasn’t that great. He had 26 passing TDs… tied a career low, while Allen is coming off an MVP season.”

It’s a take as spicy as Kansas City barbecue, but does it hold water against Mahomes’ actual resume? Let’s break it down like a Cover 2 defense. Forget ‘lately’ for a second. Zoom out. Mahomes isn’t just playing quarterback. Indeed, he’s rewriting the position’s history book in real time:

• The Hardware: 3 Super Bowl rings. 3 Super Bowl MVPs (tying Joe Montana). 2 NFL MVPs. Offensive Player of the Year (2018). It’s a trophy case most franchises envy.

• The Stats (RS): 32,352 yards, 245 TDs, 74 INTs, 102.1 passer rating across 112 games. Win-Loss? A ludicrous 89-23 (79.5% win rate). Yeah, the 26 TDs in 2024 were a dip, but context is king – that “down” year still ended with him hoisting the Lombardi.

• The Playoff God Mode: This is where Mahomes separates from mortals. 21 playoff games: 5,814 yards, 46 TDs, only 10 INTs, a 105.4 passer rating (highest ever). He’s 17-4 in the postseason. Seven playoff games with a 120+ passer rating? Another NFL record. He’s not just in big games; he defines them. Think Super Bowl comebacks, ‘13 Seconds,’ and ice-cold overtime drives – he’s the NFL’s ultimate pressure performer.

To rank Josh Allen #1 isn’t blasphemy; it’s recognizing an absolute force. His 2024 MVP season was monstrous, capping a run of 5 straight seasons with 40+ total TDs – an NFL first. He’s the ultimate dual-threat: 26,434 passing yards, 195 passing TDs, plus a jaw-dropping 4,142 rushing yards and 65 rushing TDs (2nd-most ever for a QB).

He holds Bills records for total TDs, rushing TDs, passing yards, and completions. His on-field moments are pure electricity – snow-globe TDs, hurdle highlights, and the sheer power to demoralize defenses. Pierce even added, “But I will tell you this, I wouldn’t even have Mahomes number two. I’m putting Lamar right there. I’m putting— I’m putting Allen, Lamar. This is based on last year.” Translation: He’s a human cheat code built like a linebacker with a rocket arm.

What makes this debate so compelling is the genuine mutual admiration. These aren’t bitter enemies; they’re golf buddies who met at The Masters. After another playoff heartbreak for Allen in January 2025, Mahomes sent a heartfelt text: “I always feel for him… he’s a great player, an amazing competitor and an awesome dude who I respect so much. I’m sorry it had to be us.” Allen consistently calls Mahomes ‘one of the greatest to ever play.’ Their embrace before the 2024 AFC Championship felt less like rivals and more like brothers about to duel in the backyard – fiercely competitive, deeply respectful.

However, Pierce’s ‘lately’ argument bumps hard against the postseason ledger, especially when these two titans clash.

The playoff elephant in the Mahomes’ room

Allen is 0-3 against Mahomes in the playoffs. While Allen’s individual playoff efficiency is stellar (#1 EPA/play, #1 success rate, 25 TDs to just 4 INTs over the last 5 seasons per Warren Sharp), the outcomes sting. In those three playoff losses to Mahomes:

• Mahomes: 75.2% completion, 306 YPG, 8 TDs, 0 INTs, 126.6 rating

• Allen: 65.3% completion, 267.3 YPG, 7 TDs, 1 INT, 98.9 rating

Mahomes has simply been otherworldly when their seasons are on the line. Allen holds the record for most playoff starts (13) without a Super Bowl appearance. Mahomes has played in 4 Super Bowls in his first 7 seasons as a starter, winning three. That gap in the biggest moments is the counterweight to Allen’s phenomenal regular-season production and MVP. As the old ‘Wire’ wisdom goes, ‘The game ain’t played on paper, son.’ On the grass, under the brightest lights, Mahomes’ track record is unparalleled in this era.

So, who’s truly #1? Is it Allen, the thunderstorm of production, the MVP engine dragging his team through blizzards and into contention year after year? Or is it Mahomes, the surgical assassin with ice in his veins and a jewelry box overflowing with Super Bowl diamonds, whose “down” years still end in parades?

Paul Pierce leaned into the ‘lately’ of Allen’s MVP and Mahomes’s statistically quieter 2024. But Mahomes’s ‘quiet’ year ended with him calmly dissecting the 49ers in overtime for ring #3, adding another SB MVP for good measure. His body of work, particularly when the calendar flips to January and February, reads like epic poetry – stanzas of resilience, chapters of the clutch, a legacy being etched in real-time.

Allen is writing a phenomenal story of his own, a testament to power and relentless evolution. But until he solves the Mahomes riddle in the playoffs, the crown, however precarious it might sit after hot takes fly, still rests in Kansas City. This isn’t just a ranking. Indeed, it’s the defining quarterback rivalry of our time, a beautiful, brutal ballet played out between the lines. And like all great dramas, we can’t wait to see the next act.