henry mckenna
nfl reporter
Josh Allen was bleeding from the mouth. The Buffalo Bills quarterback had a big grin on his face that was abundantly clear to his teammates — though it might not have been as bright as the blood leaking down to his teeth.
It was the fourth quarter of a Week 10 game against the Indianapolis Colts, and Allen had just taken a blow to the face after completing a pass that resulted in a third down. The Bills were the better team, but the scoreline didn’t fully reflect that — yet. In the huddle, Allen called out the next play. And I delivered a simple message.
“Okay, let’s get this over with,” Allen said, licking the blood from his lips.
The Bills scored a touchdown a few players later to tie the game.
That was what tackle Spencer Brown considered Allen’s MVP moment.
I talked to nine different Bills players and they all had different MVP moments than they did in 2024. In fact, safety Damar Hamlin didn’t bother to point it out at any point.
“Every day, every Sunday. Every Sunday. There’s no specific moment. Every Sunday he goes out there, lines up and proves it. Just roll the tape,” Hamlin told FOX Sports.
But running back Ty Johnson chose the obvious choice. It was Allen’s game-winning rushing touchdown on fourth down against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 11.
Of course, Bills players are biased. If we were to talk to nine different Ravens players, they would swear Lamar Jackson had countless MVP moments, too. Because he was. Whoever wins the award, he deserves it.
It’s a matter of taste.
Jackson threw for 4,172 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions, leading an atypical offense. He also ran for 915 yards and four touchdowns. These numbers are good evidence in and of themselves.
Hamlin’s message resonated with some MVP voters. “Turn on the tape,” because Allen’s numbers pale in comparison (3,731 passing yards, 28 passing TDs, 6 INTs, 531 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs). But his tape shows perhaps the most valuable player, even more than Jackson. Allen elevates his offensive teammates in a different way than Jackson.
“Once the season started, everyone took the team and the organization as a whole into consideration,” Brown said. “They said we’re not going to make the playoffs. We’re going to have our worst record in five years. We’re going to be last in the division because everyone’s leaving. It’s because of it.”
This skill group pales in comparison to last year’s Bills. This is a big part of Allen’s selection as MVP.
Receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis left this offseason, but they were the team’s No. 1 and No. 2 wideouts. That left slot receiver Khalil Shakir to serve as the primary option. And not that that was the plan. Buffalo likely wanted tight end Dalton Kincaid, receiver Keon Coleman, or receiver Amari Cooper to take on that alpha role. No one did.
Still, Allen made the best of what he had. The Bills have marketed this offensive identity as a healthy, “everybody eats” kind of thing. But it doesn’t work for everyone. The Chiefs have developed that identity, but it’s because of Patrick Mahomes that it really works. New England tried that identity, but it only worked with Tom Brady. After Brady left, the Patriots were left in limbo. There are many reasons, one of which is New England’s inability to find an elite playmaker to support their QB post-Brady. No one ate.
The little secret to “eating for everyone” is that you need a chef who can withstand the rigors of feeding everyone. That chef is Allen.
“If you watch the film, you’ll see he’s the best player in the NFL right now,” backup QB Mitchell Trubisky said. “As you get older in this league, you figure out how to play well and how to play really well and win. … He looks like he’s in complete control.”
Allen is a master of creativity and has a unique ability to patiently execute his advances in the pocket. At the same time, we recognize that something has to happen when that progress fails. How many times have we seen Allen roll to his right, gesture to his receiver to go a certain direction, and then the QB hit the guy with a dart?
(a lot.)
Allen doesn’t just convert these explosive plays. He has also avoided the turnovers that plagued him last year. Despite recording 18 interceptions in 2023, he has just six interceptions this year.
Allen is so good at making improbable third downs that he’s become a bit of a running joke for safety Cole Bishop, who is part of the punt coverage team.
”[We] Get ready to go. And he does amazing things. [It happens] a lot. It’s going to be 3rd and 15th and he’s going to do something great. And we sit down again. “That was one of the great things,” Bishop said.
This kind of theater requires an implicit connection, a relationship of expectation and trust. And Bills players were quick to talk about Allen’s value, not just on offense but as a key figure in the locker room. Allen is the one who organizes golf meet-ups during the season and off-season. Allen hosts a large-scale competition for the high-stress, intensely competitive board game Settlers of Catan. He organizes cornhole matchups inside the quarterback room to help him relax after the most stressful days. Allen is the glue guy.
Allen is the Bills’ MVP. But they think he’s much more than that.
“He’s the best player in the league,” Hamlin said.
Before joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter @henrycmkenna.
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