Given the fact that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is ranked right at the top of the NFL, and he has plenty of protection in front of him, it’s easy to understand. Allen is the Bills player under the most pressure entering the 2025 NFL season.
Over the last six seasons, the Bills have won 10, 13, 11, 13, 11, and 13 games. And Allen has been the man behind center for that impressive run. However, the Bills are only 7-6 in the postseason in that stretch.
It’s not that Allen can’t win playoff games. A total of seven isn’t a bad number. It’s just that he can’t win to get his team into the Super Bowl. And while he’s still only 29 years old, the Bills’ Super Bowl window won’t last forever.
And that means 2025 may need to be the year that Allen gets it done.
Bills QB Josh Allen facing big expectations
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) throws the ball during Minicamp at Highmark Stadium.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
Look at it from this standpoint. Allen could win the MVP again. The Bills could carry a record of 18-0 into the AFC Championship game. And Allen could throw for 400 yards with four touchdowns in that game.
But if the Bills don’t win it and reach the Super Bowl, Allen’s season would be viewed in a negative light by many people. Now, that’s pressure.
The good news is the flip side. The Bills could go 10-7 and sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card. They could get hot and win three straight games to reach the Super Bowl. And Allen could have a bad game in the AFC Championship. But his season would be viewed in a positive light for finally breaking through.
So, while it works both ways, Bills fans won’t be happy if the team struggles to put up a big win number in 2025. And that might be the final straw that sends head coach Sean McDermott packing.
Plus Allen, hauled in the cash, signing a six-year, $330 million extension that replaced the four years and $129 million that remained of his old contract. He got $250 million guaranteed.
How’s that for pressure?
Time rolling along for QB Josh Allen
Allen said time has certainly flown by as he enters his eighth NFL season, according to usatoday.com.
“It’s happened in the blink of an eye,” Allen said. “I feel like I’m going into year three or four right now.”
Allen said he wants to continue taking care of the football this season. He threw only six interceptions in 2024.
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“Making sure, again, that I’m just being smart with the football,” Allen said. “Understanding the concepts, trusting my eyes, trusting my arm, and trusting my feet if it’s not there.”
Playing against the best of the best
As for ranking right in the mix with Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes, Allen said it’s part of his job.
“Any time you play one of those three guys, you know you have to perform your best to keep up with them,” Allen said. “We have a lot of quarterback talent in the league, especially in the AFC right now. Just a lot of guys that, again, they show up each and every game. And in order to beat them you got to play better than them, which is very hard to do.”
Allen got the No. 2 spot among those guys, according to espn.com.
“He's done everything,” an NFC personnel executive said. “He's answered every test. He makes less mistakes and takes care of the ball. Only thing left to do is win it all.”
He is that dude, according to Jeremy Fowler.
“Allen epitomizes the modern quarterback,” Fowler wrote. “With mobility that can thwart just about any defense, which makes him dangerous in the pocket but even more so out of it.
“Pressure did not affect Allen last season, when he led the NFL in QBR (85.3) and yards per dropback (6.5) under pressure, and his 13 passing touchdowns under duress tied the NFL lead. Allen also had the lowest sack rate in the entire NFL on all dropbacks (2.6%) despite his willingness to stay in the pocket to let plays develop or to buy time and scramble.”
And Allen is still willing to take chances.
“He's still got that risk-taking to his game and the occasional head-scratching play,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “But he's taking more calculated risks than wild risks, which is helping his overall play.”
The Bills will enter the 2025 season as one of the favorite picks to reach the Super Bowl. Of course, they will have to get past Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. They have been a thorn in the Bills' side by reaching the Super Bowl five times in the last six years.