Many members of the NFL community said during the summer that the Buffalo Bills would take steps in the wrong direction after the club lost multiple noteworthy veteran players on both sides of the ball this past offseason. Buffalo has instead won 10 of its first 12 games of the season, and quarterback Josh Allen would probably be the Most Valuable Player if award winners were announced this week.
For a piece published Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Dan Graziano shared how one change made by Allen earlier this year helped the Bills remain legitimate Super Bowl contenders through yet another season.
“Bills players I spoke to last week talked about the increase in Allen’s leadership in this offense and how he has taken ownership of that role on a team in transition,” Graziano explained. “Players in the locker room say Allen is more involved than ever in making sure he’s attentive to what players want and what kinds of plays and routes the receivers and tight ends like the most. That includes connecting with the defensive players on a personal level to a greater extent than he had before.”
The Bills traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs, Allen’s favorite target, to the Houston Texans before this year’s draft and then didn’t replace Diggs with a big name before Week 1. While Buffalo lost back-to-back games to fall to 3-2 without Diggs, the club has since won seven straight and has a victory in hand over the 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs.
According to Pro Football Reference, Allen heads into Week 14 ranked second in the NFL with a 74.5 adjusted QBR and tied for sixth with 20 passing touchdowns for the season. Per StatMuse, he’s tied for second among quarterbacks with six scores on the ground.
As of early Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Allen as the betting favorite at -225 odds to claim MVP Award honors. That same outlet had the Bills and Chiefs tied at +215 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LIX.
Allen will next attempt to bolster his MVP odds when the Bills play at the 6-6 Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
