This stat proves Bills QB Josh Allen is off to a historic start to 2024 NFL season

According to one stat, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is off to the best start of any NFL signal-caller in nearly 20 years.

Kyle Silagyi | 3 Hours Ago

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The eye test has always been a prominent factor when looking for reasons to like Josh Allen.

Statistics and advanced analytics warned against selecting the quarterback ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft; he completed just 56.2% of his career passes against less-than-stellar competition at Wyoming, with many pre-draft prognosticators parroting some version of the analysis ‘you can’t fix accuracy at the NFL level.’

Those who watched Allen play saw some semblance of the vision. Though many watched the signal-caller and (justifiably) thought he was a raw prospect in need of years' worth of development, others saw a 6-foot-5 human rhinoceros with a cannon for an arm, deceiving athleticism, and an unwavering will to win that, if properly worked with, could evolve into something special.

The Buffalo Bills were among those who ‘saw the vision,’ selecting Allen with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s developed into one of the league’s best quarterbacks—nay, players—throughout his professional career, overcoming a few rough developmental campaigns to rattle off an NFL-record four straight seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns. He’s off to what is perhaps his best start yet in 2024, with the ‘eye test’ suggesting that no quarterback across the league is playing better; numbers would agree, as he’s currently ranked second among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 50 passes in completion percentage (75%), second in passing touchdowns (seven), and first in total touchdowns (nine), with betting markets viewing him as the favorite to earn NFL MVP honors.

And though statistics haven’t always been in Allen’s corner (he’s been quoted as saying “stats are for losers”), there is one stat through the first three games of the new campaign that effectively illustrates just how dominant his start has been. Allen currently leads the NFL in quarterback rating (a stat that, per ESPN, “values the quarterback on all play types on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced”) with a 92.6; according to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, Allen’s current QBR is “the best of any quarterback through three games since the statistic was first tracked in 2006.”

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Allen’s start to the 2024 campaign has not just been excellent, stellar, or whatever synonym you want to use—it’s been historic. It’s, according to QBR, the best start that any quarterback has gotten off to in nearly two decades, this despite the passer working with a weapons corps that, on paper, is lesser than it was a year ago. He’s already connected with 10 pass-catchers throughout the season, with six different weapons reaching paydirt through the air; Allen has reached the point where he doesn’t need an alpha option outside, he can make do with anything.

He’ll look to continue his hot start on Sunday night against the Baltimore Ravens, with the 1-2 AFC North side looking to prove they’re still one of the AFC’s top clubs by besting the undefeated Bills. Allen will be tasked with dissecting a talented, but underperforming Baltimore defense that’s allowed a league-high 875 passing yards this season; kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m.

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