Josh Allen Finally Passes Patrick Mahomes in Annual QB Rankings

Ever since Josh Allen took over as the quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, they've been one of the most dangerous franchises in the NFL. Allen has led the Bills to the playoffs in seven consecutive seasons, and has an 88-39 overall record as their starter. In the postseason, Buffalo is 8-7 with Allen as the starter, although they have yet to break through and make it to the Super Bowl.

The front office is hopeful that their recent changes with the coaching staff will help them reach that goal, but everyone is aware that this team goes as far as Allen takes them.

Now entering his ninth season in the NFL, Allen is finally being seen by NFL decision-makers the same way Buffalo fans have seen him for years. In an annual poll of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, Allen wound up taking the spot as the No. 1 overall quarterback in the league, surpassing Patrick Mahomes for the first time.

We recently wrote about Allen and his choice to forego the American Century Championship this past weekend.

Allen was ranked No. 2 entering the 2025 season, and as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler states, the reason Allen is finally being seen as superior to Mahomes is the fact that he's taking much better care of the football. Fowler quoted one anonymous general manager, who said as much.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen works on footwork during training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"He's the most singularly unstoppable player at the position when you get his A-game," one unnamed GM said via Fowler. "And he has cut down on the turnovers the past two seasons."

Fowler then broke down the change in Allen's ball security, which included lowering his number of interceptions and fumbles.

"Once among the game's most generous at gift-wrapping footballs for defenders, Allen has assuaged the turnover problem, averaging eight interceptions per season since 2024 (down from an average of 15.7 from 2021-23). He fumbled 12 times over the last two years, an improvement from his 20 from the previous two seasons -- and a small consideration against the backdrop of 41 rushing touchdowns since 2023," Fowler wrote.

He also stated that Allen did have issues with turnovers in the playoffs, which was part of the reason they fell short against the Denver Broncos. An anonymous coordinator told ESPN that the Bills will live and die with Allen, and can't be mad when he does turn the ball over since he's been the main reason they've won so many games.

Is Josh Allen finally getting help in 2026?

Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore practices against the New Orleans Saints. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One of the primary reasons that Allen has had turnover concerns goes back to the fact that he's had to play hero ball so often. Without elite wide receivers around him, Allen has been forced to try and do too much far too often.

This offseason, the Bills attempted to remedy that by adding DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears. Moore might not be the elite player he once was, but he's much better than anybody they had at the receiver position outside of Khalil Shakir over the past two years.

Allen has also expressed how excited he is to have Moore on his team. He might not be the elite WR1 that fans have been begging for, but Moore's arrival could help Allen take yet another step forward in 2026.

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