Pro Football Focus continued its ranking of the NFL’s 50 best players for the 2024 season on Thursday, and a surprising name landed outside the top 10: Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Expectations for the Bills aren’t as high this year after an offseason roster overhaul. Among the departures were wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, two of Allen’s longtime top targets. But the dual-threat QB’s presence is why Buffalo remains a Super Bowl contender. Placing Allen outside the top 10 in a quarterback-driven league is a bold move by PFF. The final set of the outlet’s rankings will be released Friday to see who finished above the Bills signal-caller.
Bills Josh Allen Rated No. 12 NFL Player By PFF
Is Allen’s Ranking Too High, Too Low or Just Right?
Too low. Allen is the NFL’s second-best player behind only Kansas City Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes, who’s in a class of his own after adding another Super Bowl ring last season.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of Allen to the Bills offense. He’s a one-man wrecking crew. He willed the organization to its fourth straight AFC division title last year. That success came despite a group of playmakers around him that started to fade considerably. Diggs wasn’t the same player in the second half of last season. Davis, who’s always struggled to create separation, was borderline useless for much of 2023. Tight end Dawson Knox also had a down year, and most of the Bills offensive depth was a non-factor. It left wideout Khalil Shakir and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid as the only options to make plays for Buffalo most weeks. It didn’t matter. Allen still carried the team to the playoffs.
“Buffalo’s offense wasn’t as good last season as it had been in the past, and the team made a coaching change because of it, but Josh Allen remains a unique player at the position, capable of invalidating any defense with his arm or legs,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote. “Allen actually posted the best PFF overall grade (92.1) and the second-best adjusted completion rate (77.1%) of his career in 2023.”
The fact Allen posted those numbers amid the budding problems around him speaks to his individual talent. Yet, the conversation around him this summer would make you believe he’s more of a hindrance to the Bills.
"I'll die on this hill: Josh Allen, to this point, the criticism is silly. He's underrated."
— @colincowherd pic.twitter.com/iY6l5Q2o6l
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) July 16, 2024
Bills, Josh Allen, Could Benefit From Doubters
The Bills best season of the Josh Allen Era came in 2020, when they reached the AFC Championship Game after a 13-3 regular season. From that point forward, a Super Bowl appearance transformed from a dream to an expectation. That’s a lot of pressure to deal with, especially for a player like Allen, who carries an unfathomable amount of that burden on his shoulders.
In turn, perhaps going back to a position of being doubted is a good thing for the 28-year-old perennial MVP candidate and the Bills. Head coach Sean McDermott has also done most of his best work in Buffalo when leveraging the underdog mentality. The Bills lost a lot of high-profile, previously productive players in the offseason. They mostly replaced them with young, hungry players trying to make their mark in the NFL. On the outside, it’s been viewed as a net negative. The reality could be a substantial net positive.
Bills Season Rests on Josh Allen’s Right Shoulder
Ultimately, Allen is going to receive most of the credit or blame for the Bills season. That’s true for many of the NFL’s quarterbacks, but none more so than the University of Wyoming product. No NFL player more directly impacts his team’s results. If the Bills exceed their newly lowered expectations, Allen has a great chance to capture his first MVP Award. If Buffalo misses the playoffs, the overrated conversation will be even louder around him next summer.
Allen and Co. open the regular season Sept. 8 at home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Main Image: Jamie Germano – USA Today Sports
