Josh Allen vs. Aaron Rodgers: 'Going to Be a Dogfight,' Says Bills QB
Whether on the football field or golf course, Buffalo Bills' quarterback Josh Allen has built a fun rivalry with new New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The four-time MVP and Super Bowl winner was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets this offseason and will now see more matchups against Allen and the Bills.
The two quarterbacks are in very different stages of their career. Allen is a young star quarterback who has yet to win anything substantial in the postseason, and Rodgers has seen it all while having the accolades to back it up. Now, the two best buds are guaranteed at least two regular season matchups.
“I’ve gotten to know Aaron a little bit over the years, and I would consider us very close,” Allen said to The Ringer. “I wouldn’t say we text on the regular. I don’t really call him, I FaceTime him. He usually answers, which is a big plus. I know he doesn’t answer a lot of people.”
The matchups could benefit Allen in more ways than one. He could learn plenty playing against a four-time MVP, though playing both Rodgers and the rest of the AFC quarterbacks makes for a different challenge.
“There’s a lot of great quarterbacks in the AFC right now,” Allen said. “These games are going to be dogfights, and it’s not about how you win them, it’s about if you win them. That’s all we’re trying to do, we’re trying to score one more point than our opponent.”
Allen will have to make sure the friendliness and childhood fandom doesn't get in the way of his competitive approach.
“I’ve just been such a fan of his since I was a little kid,” Allen said. “Having his jerseys and trying to emulate what he does on the football field. He’s such a special player. I think he’s the most gifted thrower of the football all time. Going up against him twice a year, it’s going to be a battle.”
The two quarterbacks have matched up twice in their careers. The Rodgers-led Packers took down Allen and the Bills 22-0 in Allen's rookie season, but Bufalo took down the Packers 27-17 this past season.
“As a quarterback, I am not really looking at who’s on the other side of that football. I don’t play them. I play their defense and their defensive coordinator," Allen said. "But there (are) certain things that will influence play-calling and decision-making based on who is over there. We don’t want to give the ball back to them. We don’t want to give them short fields.”
Playing the Jets defense will be no easy task for Allen and the Bills. There will be more pressure on Buffalo to score plenty of points as Rodgers, Garrett Wilson and, eventually, Breece Hall, might've just formed one of the AFC's more underrated offenses.
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