Murphy: Anyone still think Josh Allen is 'overrated'? Maybe MVP would be a better moniker
Maybe ESPN should round up another 100 or so players?
You know, like the ones who voted Josh Allen the NFL’s most overrated quarterback three weeks ago?
All he did was throw four touchdown passes, no interceptions, and 263 yards in the Bills' 47-10 wipeout of the Jacksonville Jaguars Monday night, leading his team to a 3-0 record.
“It’s a fun and wonderful thing when you’ve got a bunch of guys that don’t care about the stats — don’t care about the touchdowns,” Allen said after the game. “It’s paying dividends — the ‘everybody eats’ mentality.”
Oh, everybody’s eating. The Bills got touchdowns from six different players including rookies Keon Coleman and Ray Davis. But it was Josh Allen who stood in front. He toyed with Jacksonville’s man-to-man defense leading Buffalo to five touchdowns in the first half. The Bills didn’t punt until the fourth quarter.
“He’s leading from the front,” coach Sean McDermott said of Allen, “from our football team and our offense. And he’s getting good support from our coaching staff, from Joe (Brady).”
Chants of “MVP” were audible and warranted for Allen as early as the second quarter. As good as he’s been for six years, he’s getting better. His throws were perfectly timed to ten different targets. He ran the ball effectively, including a fourth-down scramble, and finished as the team's leading rusher.
But most importantly he displayed composure and control right from the start. He worked through Joe Brady’s multiple offensive sets effortlessly and calmly. He was in total command of the offense.
Can he get better? Who knows? He’s better now than he was last year.
You can say the same for Von Miller, a constant source of pass rush pressure. It’s not easy, especially after battling through his serious knee injury from 2022.
“We got a saying in the D-line room: it takes energy to rush,” Miller said.
That's the type of energy he showed getting one sack and numerous pressures throughout the game. Miller picked up his third sack in three games early in the fourth quarter. It moves him to the number 17 spot on the NFL’s all-time list.
“It’s a huge accomplishment,” Miller said of tying Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas with 126.5 career sacks. “I’m not going to act like it’s not.”
Being 3-0 to start the season is big also. But now it gets interesting.
The Baltimore Ravens are 1-2, but they’ve had close losses to Kansas City and the Raiders. They have the best quarterback the Bills have faced so far this year, two-time MVP Lamar Jackson. They are the defending champions of the AFC. And they play defense better than anyone the Bills gone up against.
On the other hand, the Ravens almost let the lead slip away against Dallas. They have questions about normally reliable kicker Justin Tucker. Even coach John Harbaugh is getting some heat.
Maybe ESPN thinks they’re overrated too.
Latest Bills News
John Murphy, the longtime Voice of the Bills, is writing columns for WIVB.com this season. Find more of his work here.