Stephen A. Smith didn’t exactly break new ground when he weighed in on Josh Allen, but he did put a loud, national stamp on what plenty of Bills fans have been saying for a while: Allen is the quarterback to beat right now.
On First Take, Smith pointed to Allen’s body of work and said the Buffalo star has earned the top spot, even over Patrick Mahomes.
“ I think for the time being you can say yes. Josh Allen has proven to be an absolute stud, and obviously Patrick Mahomes is coming off an injury and a relatively subpar season to his standards. ” said Smith.
Smith didn’t stop there. He acknowledged Allen’s 0-4 postseason record against Mahomes head up, but still said the Bills quarterback has done more with less and continues to look like the league’s most complete force.
“ But with Josh Allen, considering the stud he has been and continues to be, even though he’s 0-4 in the postseason against Patrick Mahomes head up, the bottom is that he’s proven to be a stud. You got DJ Moore coming in now, who's got something to prove after subpar back-to-back seasons in Chicago.
You still got [James] Cook. You’ve got other weapons that are available to you.
Josh Allen is that dude. He is an absolute stud, make no mistake about it.
” Smith added.
“Josh Allen is that dude. He is an absolute stud, make no mistake about it.”
The discussion fits neatly with the buzz around Buffalo heading into the season. Jeremy Fowler’s recent quarterback rankings already had Allen near the top, backed by executives, scouts and coaches.
And while some fans will always side with Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow, Allen’s case is built on production and burden. He has been the more dominant quarterback while working with less help than the other elite names in the conversation.
Allen’s 2024 MVP season only strengthened that argument. He won the award without a true No. 1 receiver, which makes the addition of DJ Moore even more interesting for Buffalo. With Joe Brady taking over as the head coach and Moore arriving as the new No. 1 option in the offense, Allen gets another chance to push his game even higher.
That’s the part that should have the rest of the league paying attention. Allen has already shown he can carry an offense. Now he may have even more around him than he did when he was throwing to Stefon Diggs.
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