Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Monday night’s demolition of the Jacksonville Jaguars by the Buffalo Bills was a riot for "Bills Mafia". A near perfect first half saw the Bills score touchdowns on their first five possessions, while only allowing the Jaguars a field goal.
The lone blemish of the half was a blocked point after attempt after the Bills' first touchdown. That hat was merely an afterthought by the time fans wandered out to the concourse at halftime, enjoying orange slices and a 34-3 lead.
Allen’s numbers at halftime were preposterous: 22-of-28 passing for 247 yards and four touchdowns.
Four. 4. Quatro. Quatre.
While helping the Bills to a 3-0 start to their season, that performance also served notice on a couple of fronts.
First of all, like many of us, you’ve been wondering whether or not the 2024 Bills would have a passing game to lean into when they either needed it, or the matchup against an individual opponent dictated that they emphasize it.
Well, we got an answer.
Monday night was, obviously, not a night where they were dragged into having to throw it. Clearly, the Bills liked their passing game against a team that came into the game playing man-on-man coverage at a 60% clip through their first two games.
When the Jaguars realized that playing too much man coverage was a bad idea, they pivoted to some zone concepts, but it didn’t matter. Allen carved them up regardless.
I swear, sometimes it felt like it wouldn’t have mattered if Jacksonville had an extra player or two on defense. That’s how locked in Allen was, and I’m still only talking about the first half!
Riding alongside the Bills serving notice about their passing game is the candidacy of a certain quarterback for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
The chants of "MVP! MVP" were audible after the Bills' first drive of the game. With Monday’s dismantling of the Jaguars, I’d expect to see Allen atop the betting odds for the award.
All offseason, the point has been made that if Allen has as great year - a year as he had, say, last season - his MVP chances would be better than ever, because of the significant changes to the roster. That’s provided the Bills are among the top teams in the NFL, of course.
Through three weeks of the season, who looks better?
In the AFC, both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs join the Bills at 3-0. Neither have been nearly as impressive as Buffalo.
In the NFC, we’ll see how for real the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks are, as the usual top teams struggle with injuries and inconsistent play.
The point is, the Bills look like the best team in the NFL right now.
There's still a long way to go this season, of course, but an excellent season from Allen, along with top contender status, has been the recipe for an MVP start.
