Josh Allen Is Good, But His Inconsistency Gets Overlooked

One thing I think people overlook when they talk about Josh Allen is his consistency.

I think Josh Allen is a good quarterback, but I don’t think he’s a consistent quarterback.

For one, I don’t consider him a consistent deep-ball passer. A lot of the time when Allen throws deep, the play seems to involve a defensive pass-interference penalty rather than him consistently making those throws down the field. That matters when we’re evaluating him as a passer.

I also think Josh Allen can interfere with the running game.

Take James Cook. There have been stretches where Cook was getting six carries here and there, and then, all of a sudden, the Bills would go away from him. By the time they decided to get him involved again, the defense had already adjusted, and the running game had been shut down. Then the offense would start going back to the passing game.

I think Buffalo needs to stop treating Josh Allen like he’s the team’s running back.

Allen seems to pick and choose when he wants to become a runner. When the team gets close to the goal line, suddenly Josh Allen becomes the running back. But if James Cook is taking carry after carry and taking hit after hit, I think he should be rewarded with those touchdowns.

The running back should get the opportunity to finish the drive.

James Cook led the league in rushing, and I think he could have had even more rushing touchdowns if Josh Allen wasn’t taking those opportunities himself near the goal line.

And that’s where I think people sometimes give Allen too much credit. It becomes about Josh Allen making the play instead of consistently building the offense around the players who are producing.

We’ve seen something similar before with Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson was a good player, but when the Seahawks were on the goal line in the Super Bowl against the Patriots, they chose to pass instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch. That decision became one of the most famous examples of a team potentially overthinking who should get the ball in a critical situation.

With Buffalo, I think the question is similar: Are they building the offense around what works, or are they constantly putting the ball in Josh Allen’s hands because he’s Josh Allen?

Even defensively, teams have shown that they can make Allen uncomfortable.

We’ve seen games where the defense is playing well enough to give itself a chance, while Allen makes mistakes that could have completely changed the game. There have been bad throws that should have been interceptions, including situations where defensive backs simply dropped the ball. There have also been moments near the goal line where Allen has thrown questionable passes that could have turned into interceptions.

Then there’s the way he runs with the football.

Allen is an incredible athlete, but sometimes he carries the ball in a way that leaves it exposed. When you’re a quarterback who runs as much as Allen does, ball security has to be a major part of the conversation.

Sometimes it feels like the Bills are relying on what I would call hero-ball football: Put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands, let his athletic ability take over and trust that he’ll make something happen.

But how far has that approach taken them?

They still haven’t reached a Super Bowl.

That’s why I’m not saying Josh Allen is a bad quarterback. He’s a good quarterback. He’s an extremely talented player. But I don’t think he’s as consistent as people make him out to be.

And I don’t think he’s on Lamar Jackson’s level. I don’t think he’s on Patrick Mahomes’ level. I don’t think he’s on Joe Burrow’s level either, although I do think Burrow has had the luxury of playing with two superstar wide receivers.

For me, the biggest question isn’t whether Josh Allen can make spectacular plays.

We already know he can.

The question is whether he can consistently make the right plays, protect the football, stay efficient as a passer, and allow the rest of the offense to do its job.

That’s the part of Josh Allen’s game that I think gets overlooked.