Remember the conversations about Aaron Rodgers potentially taking the throne of best quarterback in the league from Tom Brady back in 2011? Or about Peyton Manning having Brady’s number around 2015? Or even the extended affinity former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had for Jimmy Garoppolo as heir apparent to the GOAT before his departure?
None of those challenges to Brady aged particularly well, especially after he took his talents to an average Buccaneers roster in 2020 and led them to his seventh Super Bowl victory. Brady’s success extended far beyond the “Patriot Way” or any so-called system, persisting through serious injuries, countless roster changes, and even Father Time.
Watch the Throne: Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen
Now, however, we live in a new era of quarterbacks, one in which the man currently guarding the throne among active signal-callers is named Patrick Mahomes, and one analyst believes another quarterback has surpassed Mahomes.
“That’s why we have so much reluctance to acknowledge the clear and absolute truth: the last two years, Mahomes is not even in Josh Allen’s league,” sports media personality Colin Cowherd claimed Thursday on FS1. “It ain’t close.”
Cowherd pointed to passer ratings over the last two seasons in second halves and overtimes, a span in which Allen ranks second among all quarterbacks while Mahomes sits at No. 24.
“The Herd” host also noted that, overall, over the last two seasons, the Buffalo Bills have averaged more points per game (30.2) than the Kansas City Chiefs (23.8), with Allen also logging a higher completion percentage (66.5), 22 more touchdowns, and six fewer interceptions than Mahomes.
“By the way, Mahomes has better receiving targets,” Cowherd added. “The Bills’ receivers stink. They play in worse weather, believe it or not, than Kansas City. They have a defensive coach, not Andy Reid. The last two years, one guy is significantly bigger, stronger, more productive than the other.”
On PFSN’s QB Impact metrics for this season, Allen is ranked No.1 (92.2 QBi), while Mahomes sits 15th (77.0 QBi)
For what it’s worth, if you’re the franchise committing $330 million over six years to a quarterback as the Bills did with Allen in March, you’d ideally like this to be a discussion worth having (which it is). But the debate cannot end there.
Being “better right now” is one thing; establishing that status with hardware is another.
The timing alone makes the argument fairly convenient, given Mahomes appeared in a Super Bowl just a year ago and is currently navigating the most turbulent season of his career — one that’s left him on one leg and outside of the playoffs for the first time.
Ultimately, only one accomplishment could make Allen undeniable in this sense: winning when it matters most.
Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion, underwent surgery Monday to repair a torn ACL in his left knee and has begun a rehabilitation process expected to last roughly nine months. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl-less Allen leads his 10-4 Bills into a Week 16 road contest Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.