Why Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen deserves more respect

People need to stop calling Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen overrated. And after an anonymous NFL executive made yet another such assertion about Allen's game, former NFL quarterback turned analyst Dan Orlovsky explained why such claims are unfair.

When Orlovsky was tasked with responding to comments referring to Allen as "one of the more overrated players in the NFL" on ESPN's Get Up on Tuesday, he did not hold back.

"He's an idiot, that source," opined Orlovsky.

The player-turned-pundit proceeded to further explain where he was coming from.

"Josh Allen is two or three plays away from being a multi-Super Bowl appearing quarterback," Orlovsky said, "and potentially Super Bowl winning quarterback. It's a moronic statement to make."

And honestly, Orlovsky is 100% right. While Allen is not on par with Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (granted, no one is), he's still among the best in the game today. As Orlovsky alluded to, Mahomes' greatness is making people underrate other quarterbacks in the same era.

Through six NFL seasons , Allen, 28, has thrown for 22,703 yards, accounted for 22 total touchdowns — through the air and on the ground — and owns a 63.2 completion percentage. Allen has 167 passing touchdowns and 78 interceptions for his career, equating to a ratio only surpassed by Mahomes during the same timespan.

Allen is even coming off his fourth straight season exceeding 4,000 passing yards. He's been a Pro Bowler twice and a second-team All-Pro once (2020).

Of course, Allen's critics will point to his 5-5 postseason record. But Allen's career shows why it's not always fair to hold a team record against one individual, even a quarterback. In the playoffs , Allen has thrown for 2,723 yards while posting a 64.6 completion percentage and a staggering touchdown-to-interception ratio of 21 passing touchdowns and only four picks.

Elite players are expected to step up their game in the playoffs and the numbers show Allen has done just that.

It's also important to look at the Bills' postseason losses with Allen at the helm. Three of Allen's five playoff losses have come against Mahomes — a peer who has already reached four Super Bowls and won three. And there's a case to be made Allen did everything he could in those losses. Allen played well despite falling to the Chiefs twice in the divisional round and once with the AFC conference title on the line.

Allen has posted a quarterback rating of at least 80 in each of those battles with the Chiefs and has an average of 267.3 yards and 2.3 touchdowns in those games. Most importantly, he has only one interception in the three games against the Chiefs combined. It's not like Allen has been letting his team down with his play in big games.

For further context, Allen's two other playoff losses are from his first career postseason game and one to Joe Burrow and the Bengals.

So while it's fair to acknowledge Allen is not on Mahomes' level — again, no one is — too much of the commentary about him is unfair, especially when he's likely on pace for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.