Josh Allen is simply the NFL’s most irreplaceable player

The NFL Most Valuable Player Award may go to Lamar Jackson or Saquon Barkley because of their remarkable individual achievements, but Josh Allen is the most irreplaceable player in the league.

While every head coach and general manager would cite their QB1 as an invaluable piece of a championship puzzle, coach Sean McDermott and General Manager Brandon Beane have a unicorn in the form of their 6-foot-5, 240-pound quarterback. Allen is the first NFL player with 40-plus touchdowns in five consecutive seasons. Additionally, he is one of three quarterbacks in NFL history with 40-plus touchdowns, 500-plus rushing yards and fewer than seven interceptions.

While Jackson joins him on the shortlist by reaching the standard in 2019 and 2024, Allen is doing the most with the least in Buffalo this season. The three-time Pro Bowler has put up lackluster numbers after losing his incumbent WR1 (Stefon Diggs) and WR2 (Gabe Davis) in the offseason. Although the team acquired Amari Cooper in a midseason trade to fill a role as a primary receiver, the Bills have operated as a playmaker by selection on the perimeter.

Khalil Shakir leads the team in targets (100), receptions (76), receiving yards (821) and yards after catch (597), but is a traditional no. 3 receiver on most troops. Keon Coleman has emerged as the Bills’ designated big-play threat, averaging 19.2 yards per carry. Catch average and 12 “explosives” (catches of at least 20 yards) As a potential WR1. While Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox are quality options as trusted pass catchers between the hashes, the tight end has not reached elite status despite combining for 66 catches, 759 receiving yards and three scores.

Considering Allen has posted eye-popping numbers without an elite receiver available, the seventh-year Pro deserves extra credit for leading an offense that averaged 30-plus points with just eight turnovers. Despite being asked to carry a heavier load without a leading receiver on the perimeter, he has developed into a playmaking “game manager” with an efficient game.

Unlike the young gunslinger who took the league by storm as a super-sized dual threat, Allen has learned how to scale back on the “hero” game until he’s “Gotta have situations” that require him to play like Superman for the Bills. Those critical third down, red zone and two-minute/end-of-game situations require Allen to don his mantle to help a collection of over-producers knock off several talented squads.

That’s no slight or dismissal of the Bills’ individual and collective talents, but the team only has one Pro Bowler (Dion Dawkins) outside of its QB1, exposing the lack of star power on the roster. Granted, franchise quarterbacks are expected to raise the game of those around them, but Allen is being asked to do more than his contemporaries.

Patrick Mahomes and Jackson have elite skill players and trench players around them, making it easier for them to torch opponents as distributors. Additionally, Jackson has the luxury of relying on a two-time NFL rushing champion (Derrick Henry) to Bludgeon opponents between the tackles as part of a dynamic rushing attack that led the league in rushing yards.

While Allen was paired with a back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher in James Cook, the third-year pro doesn’t command the attention of defenses like Henry or Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles. Thus, the Bills’ QB1 is a “one-man show,” putting up fuzzy numbers against defensive coordinators who draw up detailed schemes designed to neutralize his impact as a playmaker.

Despite their best efforts, Allen became the first player to post multiple seasons with 25 touchdowns and 10 rushing scores. As the Bills’ short-yardage/goal-line specialist, he displays Cam Newton-like running skills executing designed quarterback runs. While his game isn’t identical to the former MVP, McDermott’s experience with Newton during the Carolina Panthers’ Super Bowl run might have encouraged him to rely on Allen to elevate the offense without a collection of stars around him.

As a unique playmaker with linebacker size and fullback strength and power, Allen is a nightmare to bring down inside or outside the pocket. Additionally, he poses a problem for defenses as a deep thrower with unlimited range. Given the dilemma his dual threat presents to defenses, the Bills’ different scheme is a creative “shell game” with Allen as the center, keeping opponents guessing at crucial moments.

Additionally, Allen’s dynamic playmaking ability and outstanding ball security allow him to play a complementary game with a blue-collar defense that provides extra possessions and primary scoring opportunities with turnovers (32, third most in the league) and critical stops. With the Bills leading the league in turnover margin (plus-24) in the regular season and holding a plus-three edge in the playoffs, the combination has been a winning one in Buffalo.

Although the MVP race has been decided by votes cast at the end of the regular season, Allen’s spectacular 2024 campaign has shown the football world that the Bills’ No. 17 is an unstoppable force capable of carrying a team to the title. With a win against the back-to-back champion Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, Allen can cement his status as the league’s most irreplaceable player.

Bucky Brooks is an NFL analyst for Fox Sports. He also breaks down the game for NFL Network and as a cohost of the “Moving the Sticks” podcast. Follow him on Twitter @Buckybrooks.

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