Although the Buffalo Bills had some occasional struggles during the 2021 season, they had a relatively successful season, even though it ended in a heartbreaking defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round.
Now, with the addition of two-time Super Bowl winner Von Miller, Buffalo has become the early favorite to not only win the AFC but to also win the Super Bowl next season.
The departure of Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs and the dissolving of what once looked like a budding dynasty has only bolstered everyone’s belief in Buffalo.
Its lynchpin is quarterback Josh Allen, who had another strong season and is being favored by many to win the 2022 National Football League MVP.
Here are three reasons why he will do just that.
1. He Is As Good As Advertised
In 2020, Allen, then in his third pro season, blossomed as football’s newest elite QB by amassing 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns while adding 631 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
After leading the Bills to a 13-3 record, he finished second to Aaron Rodgers in the MVP balloting.
This past season, there were times when it seemed like opposing teams had figured him out a little bit.
In a Monday Night Football contest against the New England Patriots, Allen completed just 15-of-30 passes for 145 yards in a 14-10 loss as it appeared that Pats coach Bill Belichick had completely neutralized him.
But Allen bounced back big time in the playoffs.
He decimated the Patriots in the wild card round, completing all but four of his 25 passes while throwing five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 47-17 rout.
Josh Allen was 🔥🔥🔥
Allen sets a Bills playoff record with 5 TD passes as Buffalo stomps the New England Patriots 47-17. 😱 #NFL #NFLPlayoffs #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/dl7u9bQD1W
— For Future Considerations (@PodcastFFC) January 16, 2022
Josh Allen just threw more TDs (5) than incompletions (4) in boat racing the Patriots in a playoff game. That. Was. Beautiful. #joshallen #BuffaloBills pic.twitter.com/jAXtyQL9Gn
— Paul Meadors (@paulmeadors) January 16, 2022
In that shootout against the Chiefs that the Bills barely lost, Allen arguably played Patrick Mahomes to a standstill by going 27-of-37 and throwing four touchdown passes (to Mahomes’ three touchdown passes).
2. Allen Will Have Lots Of Help
Even for a great QB like Allen, a signal-caller is, to a certain extent, only as good as the players around him at the skill positions, not to mention his offensive linemen.
With Stefon Diggs, tight end Dawson Knox and running back Devin Singletary by his side, Allen will continue to have enough weapons in 2022 to make him look great.
Diggs had another Pro Bowl season in 2021 with 1,225 receiving yards and a career-high 10 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Knox scored nine touchdowns last season and his size (he stands 6-foot-4 and weighs over 250 pounds) makes him a great target in the red zone.
Buffalo also went out and got tight end O.J. Howard and wideout Jamison Crowder to give Allen a couple of additional weapons.
The Bills should also still have one of the NFL’s better defenses, which means that they could finish with the best overall record in the league, and that would only help Allen’s MVP candidacy.
3. Allen May Only Have One Certain Competitor
The winner of the last two MVP awards, Rodgers, won’t have Davante Adams to throw to anymore, which will surely put a dent in his usually gaudy numbers, not to mention his MVP balloting.
Mahomes will face the same problem without Hill, and although he may put up close to his usual numbers, the Chiefs could very well finish last in the AFC West, which would hurt his MVP chances.
Russell Wilson could have a bounce-back year with the Denver Broncos, but he doesn’t have a wideout on the level of Diggs, Adams or Hill.
That leaves Tom Brady, who could’ve easily been named MVP this past season.
But if he finally shows signs of aging at some point this coming season, the MVP could be Allen’s to lose.
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