No Mahomes. No Lamar Jackson. No Joe Burrow.
And yet, Josh Allen still comes up short once again in the NFL playoffs.
Josh Allen, the 2024 NFL MVP, has now added another defining loss to his postseason résumé. In a year where the stage was set for him to finally break through, Allen threw two interceptions and committed two even more damaging, head-scratching fumbles. Despite entering the playoffs as just a 5th seed, this felt like the year the stars aligned for Buffalo. The usual AFC roadblocks were gone. The opportunity was real. And yet, here we are again, talking about another Bills playoff loss with Josh Allen at the center of it.
Football is the ultimate team sport, there’s no denying that. But the quarterback is the position that carries the most responsibility, and rightfully so. ESPN’s Mina Kimes has famously said, “Wins and losses are not quarterback stats.” I couldn’t disagree more.
Whether people like it or not, the quarterback is the leader of the team. Even when he isn’t the most talented player on the roster, he is the captain of the ship. He’s looked to not only by his offensive teammates, but by the defense as well. That doesn’t mean the quarterback must always be the best player, but it does mean he must embody the most important trait of the position: the ability to win when it matters most.
The greatest quarterbacks in NFL history: Tom Brady, Joe Montana, and even Patrick Mahomes early in his career, share that defining quality. They have a killer instinct. They understand situational football. They elevate everyone around them and make the correct decision when the margin for error disappears. After yet another postseason collapse, it may be time to confront an uncomfortable reality: Josh Allen simply may not be one of those guys.
Here’s what Buffalo’s last eight seasons look like:
Lost Wild Card
Lost Wild Card
Lost AFC Championship
Lost Divisional Round
Lost Divisional Round
Lost Divisional Round
Lost AFC Championship
Lost Divisional Round
That’s not bad luck. That’s a pattern.
When the moment demands discipline, patience, and execution, Josh Allen too often does the opposite. He tries to do too much. That style works in the regular season because there’s always another week, another opponent, another chance to clean it up. But this isn’t a random Week 7 game in Miami. This is the postseason, where legacies are made or cemented.
And this isn’t new.
History has a funny way of repeating itself. Go back to 2016 at the University of Wyoming in the Poinsettia Bowl. Josh Allen has the ball at midfield with 1:35 left, needing only a field goal to tie the game. He makes a strong throw for 19 yards, moving his team into scoring range. Momentum is on his side. The moment is his.
Then, on the very next play, Allen rolls to his right, throws across his body into triple coverage, and boom. Interception. Game over. Season over.
Different uniform. Bigger stage. Same result.
At some point, potential has to turn into results. And until Josh Allen proves he can consistently make the right decision when everything is on the line, the conversation won’t change, because the outcome hasn’t changed either.
The Buffalo Bills have now fired head coach Sean McDermott following yet another playoff disappointment, officially closing the chapter on his legacy in Buffalo. A new era is coming, but the spotlight remains fixed on the same man. The next time we see Josh Allen take the field, he’ll be 30 years old, a new father, and playing under a new head coach.
The excuses are gone. The safety net is gone. The “next year” narrative is wearing thin.
Quarterbacks aren’t ultimately judged by what might be, they’re judged by what they deliver when everything is on the line. And now, with a clean slate and nowhere left to point, the question isn’t whether the Bills can win with Josh Allen.
It’s whether Josh Allen can finally prove he’s capable of leading them all the way.
The Oracle writes exclusively for the SD Examiner. Read his column for his latest takes and predictions in the sports world.
