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Former Bills RB makes bold claim about Josh Allen ahead of Week 4 clash with Ravens

Former Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy feels as though quarterback Josh Allen is "better" than two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

Kyle Silagyi

JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE via Imagn Content Services, LLC
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Those who bought Josh Allen stock early—and held onto it—are now reaping the rewards.

The quarterback was a controversial prospect ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft, widely viewed as an untamed stallion of a signal-caller with all of the tools to develop into a world-beater alongside several glaring red flags, among them his accuracy and unrefined mechanics. He could perhaps best be likened to a Wagyu burger served with first-class toppings at a prestigious restaurant—the only catch is it comes disassembled, and you have to put it together yourself.

The Buffalo Bills have put that proverbial burger together over the past six years, as Allen is now unequivocally one of the league’s best players. He’s totaled over 40 touchdowns in each of the last four seasons, the only player in NFL history to do so; he’s earned NFL MVP votes in three of those campaigns, something he’s on track to do again this year as he’s gotten off to an incredible start. He’s coming off a four-touchdown outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars in which NFL MVP odds shifted in his favor in real time, a testament to the proficiency he’s playing with at this time.

Related: Bills vs. Ravens NFL Week 4 Preview: A Rivalry Continues

Allen wasn’t guaranteed to pan out, but those who had faith in him are now seeing the fruits of their labor. Former NFL running back and current Fox Sports pundit LeSean McCoy has been sold on Allen since his rookie year, as the six-time Pro Bowler was Buffalo’s primary ballcarrier in the quarterback’s debut campaign. The passer’s 2018 season was full of peaks and valleys (more of the latter than the former), but he flashed athleticism and arm talent that made fans believe he was the future at quarterback; he won his running back over early, with McCoy describing Allen as “special” at his debut minicamp.

McCoy has since praised Allen at every possible turn, often tweeting about him during Buffalo games. He again supported his former teammate on Friday's edition of The Facility, boldly describing him as better than two-time NFL MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson as he picked the 3-0 Bills to defeat the 1-2 Baltimore Ravens in their Week 4 matchup.

“I trust Josh,” McCoy said. “I’ve always trusted Josh, though. I think Lamar Jackson is a top-five quarterback, he’s one of my favorites in this league. Always thought that Josh was better. I just look at the way he plays, he can throw it at a high rate, he can run it at a high rate. I think that his teams always depended on him. If you watch him now, they don’t have a lot of stars on defense. They definitely don’t have a lot of stars on offense. You can’t even tell the difference. He’s elevated everybody’s game on offense and on defense. 

“Guys on defense are making plays that if your quarterback’s not out there balling like that and building that confidence in yourself, you might not do that. Even the coaching. A guy like Sean McDermott, he’s a really good coach, right? His players will always be well-coached. When you have a quarterback that’s playing like that, it makes everybody’s job easier. I’m going with Josh, and on the defensive side for the Ravens, they don’t look the same. They’re still good, but they’re not the old Ravens that I’m used to seeing from when I was playing, before I was playing, to after I was playing. They don’t look as dominant.”

Though Jackson has two MVP trophies on his mantel, one could put together a compelling argument that Allen is the superior player; he has over 6,500 more career passing yards, a near-identical passer rating and completion percentage, and over 70 more total touchdowns. In fact, Allen has more passing touchdowns (174) than Jackson has total touchdowns (158). The Bills’ quarterback has gotten off to a far better start to the 2024 campaign than Jackson, throwing more touchdowns in the first half of the team’s Week 3 win (four) than Jackson has all season (three). 

It will be interesting to see how Allen fares against a talented, but underperforming Baltimore defense that’s allowed the most passing yards in the league through three games (946). No quarterback in football is playing at a higher level than the Buffalo passer at this juncture, as he currently ranks 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). No defense has had any success in stopping Allen thus far this season, and if Shady is to be believed, this trend won’t change this week.

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Kyle Silagyi
KYLE SILAGYI

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