Why Josh Allen faces great pressure to make Super Bowl, despite Bills fans' exception

Time to prove it.

Whether a portion of the fan base wants to hear it or not, the pressure is on the Buffalo Bills to get things done as they enter their seventh straight postseason, still in search of a coveted Super Bowl appearance.

And much of that pressure is on Josh Allen’s shoulders, beginning on Sunday.

The Bills’ quarterback is the top signal caller in the 2025 playoff field, with the other top, playoff-proven quarterbacks in the conference having been eliminated from postseason contention before the tournament began. That means no Patrick Mahomes. No Joe Burrow. No Lamar Jackson.

Wins are not necessarily a quarterback stat. But the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and the reigning MVP should not be absolved from holding accountability if things are to go poorly in the Wild Card Round.

He gets most, if not all, of the credit when the Bills win. There is no reason why he should be absolved of blame if Buffalo loses, particularly if he has a chance to lead them to victory down the stretch of the game.

And while the Bills may not be the most well-equipped to fulfill their championship dreams when compared to previous seasons, what lies ahead of them in the AFC is less than daunting. On top of the playoff-inexperienced QBs alive in the playoffs — Bo Nix, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Justin Herbert — there is no dominant team out there.

MORE: Over $21M in wasted cap space likely sidelined for Bills' playoff matchup vs. Jaguars

The field

The Jaguars are a quality team, but they're in the first year of their build, and this iteration of their squad does not have experience playing with one another during the playoffs. Elsewhere, the Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers aren't striking all that much fear in anyone at this point.

In other words, the Bills' road to a championship doesn't feature a true, bona fide, surefire championship team. The entire group of playoff teams has flaws, just like the Bills.

However, one thing these teams don't have is the best playoff-performing QB over the past 75 years. According to Buffalo Bills PR, Allen ranks first in offensive yards per game (311), total touchdowns per game (2.54), pass touchdowns to interception ratio (6.25) and interception percentage (0.9) for quarterbacks with 10-plus playoff starts since 1950.

The one thing missing from his résumé? A championship appearance.

And it's about time that changed.

Among QBs with 10+ playoff starts since 1950, Josh Allen ranks first in:

Offensive YPG - 311.0 (1st)
Total TDs/Game - 2.54 (T-1st)
Pass TD-INT Ratio - 6.25 (1st)
INT Percentage - 0.9 (1st)

More stats heading into Sunday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nKGbuSqoTO
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 9, 2026

Blame game

This is not to say that no matter what, Allen should be blamed for the Bills' potential failure this playoffs. Things happen. But if there are opportunities to put the team on his back and carry them to victory, he must come through every chance he gets.

That's what great players do.

And it's fair to hold that high a standard for one of the greatest players of his generation.

Get it done, or suffer the criticism. That's what Josh Allen gets paid $60 million for.

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