Bills QB Josh Allen's MVP stock is up despite new receiving corps

A lot was made this offseason about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his new receiving corps, but through four weeks, he's playing at an MVP level.

Ronnie Eastham | Oct 3, 2024

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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has firmly entrenched himself into the upper echelon of NFL quarterbacks, a tier of signal-callers that don’t rely on premier pass-catchers, but instead elevate their offensive units.

This idea has been reflected in the lede of a recent article from ESPN breaking down 10 questions regarding NFL quarterbacks through four games, with beat reporter Alaina Getzenberg writing "Allen is still Allen, no matter his targets." Some will say he's playing the best football of his career, despite a down performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. Allen has not thrown an interception (knock on wood) this season and has only one turnover (a fumble on the season's opening drive), this in addition to having an impressive nine total scores thus far.

"He has played at an MVP level, limiting the turnovers overall with zero interceptions," Getzenberg wrote. "It's the first time he has gone the first four games without a pick, and it's tied for his second-longest streak at any point in a season over his career. While there isn't a clear No. 1 receiver like Stefon Diggs was last season, Allen is showing strong connections with Khalil Shakir and tight end Dalton Kincaid. Rookie Keon Coleman has also made a couple of impressive grabs."

Allen didn't have a touchdown against the Ravens; however, he's still on pace for over 38 touchdowns. If Allen continues on his current trajectory and the Bills continue to stack wins, he's a shoo-in to earn his first NFL MVP Award come the end of the season. While this has also seemed to be the case in past years, the biggest difference this season has been the lack of turnovers. The 'everyone eats' offensive mantra is good for Allen, as it allows him to find the open guy, put the ball on him, and move the chains.

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Allen having already connected with 10 pass-catchers thus far this year is statistical evidence of this idea. He's already hit five players with double-digit targets, including Khalil Shakir (19), Dalton Kincaid (18), Mack Hollins (11), Keon Coleman (10), and James Cook (10). Six of the ten have caught a touchdown from Allen, as well. There has been a lot of talk this week about a possible trade involving Davante Adams, but the Bills will be just fine with the receiving corps they have. The biggest issue Buffalo had against the Ravens was not the receivers, it was the offensive line that struggled to give Allen any protection. As long as the line holds up, Allen will find open options and continue to build his MVP resume this season.

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