To say Josh Allen is the most improved quarterback in the NFL through two weeks is an understatement. Allen has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league through the first two weeks of the season, completely ignore the defenses he faced in those matchups: New York Jets (19th in yards allowed) and Miami Dolphins (30th in yards allowed). Allen is in his third season as an NFL quarterback, but the numbers indicate the Buffalo Bills have a franchise quarterback that can lead the team to their first division title since 1995 -- the third-longest division title drought in the league.
Did you know Allen is the passing yards leader in the league through two weeks? Allen's 729 passing yards are six ahead of Matt Ryan's 723, which is just the beginning of the incredible start the Bills quarterback is off to in 2020. Allen has completed 70.4% of his passes for 729 yards with six touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 122.9 passer rating. Allen is just one of four quarterbacks in NFL history to complete 70% of his passes, throw for 700+ yards, 6+ touchdowns and have zero interceptions through the first two weeks of a season, joining Peyton Manning (2013), Tom Brady (2015) and Patrick Mahomes (2019).
That's just the start of the historic first two weeks for Allen, who is etching himself in the Bills record books. In this Week's "By The Numbers" we take a dive into Allen's historic start and his rushing numbers amongst the all-time great running quarterbacks through 30 games.
NFL quarterback leaders (2020)
Completion Percentage
- Russell Wilson (82.5%)
- Lamar Jackson (77.6%)
- Philip Rivers (77.5%)
- Gardner Minshew (75.4%)
- Derek Carr (73.5%)
Allen is ranked eighth at 70.4%. He was 32nd last season at 58.8%.
Pass TDs
- Russell Wilson (9)
- Matt Ryan (6)
- Josh Allen (6)
- Aaron Rodgers (6)
- Ryan Tannehill (6)
- Gardner Minshew (6)
Allen was tied for 21st last season with 20.
Yards Per Attempt
- Lamar Jackson (9.8)
- Russell Wilson (9.7)
- Justin Herbert (9.3)
- Jared Goff 9.3)
- Josh Allen (9.0)
Allen was 26th last season at 6.7.
Quarterback Rating
- Russell Wilson (140.0)
- Lamar Jackson (134.6)
- Josh Allen (122.9)
- Ryan Tannehill (120.7)
- Aaron Rodgers (119.4)
Allen was 24th last season at 85.3.
Pass Yards
- Josh Allen (729)
- Matt Ryan (723)
- Dak Prescott (713)
- Teddy Bridgewater (636)
- Russell Wilson (610)
Allen was 23rd last season with 3,089 yards.
Based on the small sample size, it's clear Allen has improved as a quarterback. He followed up the first 300-yard passing game of his career in Week 1 with his first 400-yard passing game in Week 2. Allen has two games with a completion percentage over 68% this season, after having just three games finishing over that total last season. Allen has thrown 35+ passes in a game six times prior to this season, completing under 60% of his passes four times. This season, Allen has attempted 35+ passes twice, completing over 68% of his passes and throwing for 2+ touchdown passes on both occasions -- the latter being the first time in his career Allen threw for multiple touchdowns passing 35+ times in a game.
While Allen's passing numbers (before this season) haven't been ideal, the Bills signal caller has been one of the game's best running quarterbacks -- overshadowed by the historic numbers Lamar Jackson has been putting up since his rookie year (the same rookie year as Allen). Allen was second in the NFL among quarterbacks in rushing yards from 2018 and 2019 (behind Jackson) and third in yards per attempt during that same span (behind Jackson and Kyler Murray).
Regardless of what Jackson does, Allen's rushing statistics are the amongst the best in history for quarterbacks through his first 30 games.
Most rushing yards for QB (first 30 career games)
- Lamar Jackson (1,798)
- Cam Newton (1,353)
- Bobby Douglass (1,348)
- Robert Griffin III (1,328)
- Josh Allen (1,216)
Most rushing TD for QB (first 30 career games)
- Cam Newton (21)
- Josh Allen (18)
- Steve Grogan (15)
- Dante Culpepper (14)
- Jack Kemp (14)
Yards Per Carry (first 30 career games, min. 150 attempts)
- Robert Griffin II (6.29)
- Deshaun Watson (5.98)
- Lamar Jackson (5.88)
- Cam Newton (5.78)
- Josh Allen (5.63)
Allen is already off to one of the best starts for a quarterback in Bills franchise history, becoming the first franchise quarterback Buffalo has had since Jim Kelly was on his way to a Hall of Fame career in the 1980s and 1990s. Allen is challenging Kelly for franchise supremacy according to the Bills record books (these are players drafted by the franchise).
Most Passing Yards (Bills QBs, first 30 games)
- Jim Kelly (6,826)
- Josh Allen (5,892)
- Trent Edwards (5,314)
- Dennis Shaw (4,694)
- J.P. Losman (4,488)
Most Pass TDs (Bills QBs, first 30 games)
- Jim Kelly (41)
- Josh Allen (36)
- J.P. Losman (27)
- Dennis Shaw (24)
- Trent Edwards (23)
Highest Passer Rating (Bills QBs, first 30 games)
- Jim Kelly (82.6)
- Josh Allen (82.4)
- Trent Edwards (78.0)
- Joe Ferguson (63.1)
- Dennis Shaw (53.9)
QB wins (Bills QBs, first 30 games)
- Joe Ferguson (20)
- Josh Allen (17)
- Trent Edwards (14)
- Jim Kelly (12)
As the statistics demonstrate, the Bills haven't had a great history of drafting quarterbacks, which is why the fanbase is high regarding Allen's potential to begin with. Allen has clearly demonstrated through 30 games he's a mainstay in Buffalo, becoming a true dual-threat quarterback with his arm and legs while rewriting the franchise record books.
Sunday's showdown against the Los Angeles Rams will be a huge test for Allen's development and passing ability, as the Bills quarterback will get a golden opportunity to prove he has immensely improved as a quarterback.
