It was hard not to admit that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was the most deserving MVP candidate for the 2020 season after the 37-year-old tossed a league-high 48 touchdowns to just five interceptions, the only time in NFL history where a quarterback threw at least 40 touchdowns with only five picks.
It was also hard not to give Bills quarterback Josh Allen much-deserved consideration in the MVP race, seeing as he led Buffalo to a 13-3 record with over 4,500 yards passing and 46 total touchdowns to just 10 interceptions. He was certainly a part of the top-three MVP ladder in many analysts' books, along with Rodgers and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes.
However, his phenomenal display from the 2020 campaign wasn't enough for Pro Football Focus to include him in the top-five of their rankings, and their primary reason why suggests that Allen, who they place at No. 6, was a little bit lucky throughout 2020. The statistic they present is difficult to refute, and may even make Bills fans a tiny, tiny bit nervous about the legitimacy of Allen's success... or maybe it won't.
Here's the full snippet from PFF's Bruce Gradkowski, a former NFL quarterback:
Josh Allen improved more in 2020 than any quarterback in recent years. The Bills have done a phenomenal job building around him on his rookie contract and also scheming the offense to fit his strengths.
Allen led the league in play-action passing attempts last season, throwing 17 touchdowns to only three interceptions. His accuracy stuck out, too. He finished with a 79.1% adjusted completion rate — the sixth-best mark in the league — after ranking in the 30s last year. The only concern with Allen’s game now is his ability to protect the football. He had the second-most turnover-worthy plays (23), trailing only Carson Wentz during the regular season.
That's right — 23 turnover-worthy plays, but only 16 turnovers, which was still a top-10 figure among quarterbacks. It looks as though there was definite potential for worse, which was only exceeded by that of Wentz in his abysmal 2020 campaign with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Perhaps for that reason, in addition to the fact that there were just some really great quarterbacks elsewhere throughout the NFL, Allen found himself ranked as the No. 7 quarterback in PFF's 2020 rankings. At least he's one slot higher heading into the 2021 season, and seeing your team's quarterback placed ahead of names like Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson is something that should make any fan base feel confident.
The five names ahead of Allen are obviously no slouches, either: Mahomes comes in at No. 1, followed by Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, Rodgers, Seattle Seahawks signal caller Russell Wilson and Houston Texans star Deshaun Watson, in that order. Considering Watson may not even play in 2021 depending on how his situation unfolds, Allen could then move into their top-five by default.
Regardless of where he's ranked — be it No. 1, No. 6 or No. 32 — Bills fans are pretty happy with where they're at right now, and Allen's production in 2021 will tell the tale more than anything else.
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