The Buffalo Bills are once again on most pundits' lists to be automatic playoff contenders and threaten to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993. Quarterback Josh Allen is a huge factor in those evaluations but that can be a double-edged sword.
Without Allen, the Bills could automatically become irrelevant and the evidence of that has been more than apparent over the first two weeks of the preseason. Buffalo has been outscored a combined 72-25 with Sunday's 38-0 drubbing to the Chicago Bears being the latest example of how little depth it has at QB.
Head coach Sean McDermott said the performance was "certainly not up to our standard" and added he was "concerned" about the glaring deficiencies his team displayed.
"Got a lot of work to do, that's very clear," he continued., h/t ESPN. "Doesn't matter who's out there -- ones, twos, threes, fours -- whoever it is, we expect them to perform and we expect our level of performance to be much better than that."
Bills' preseason performances automatically launch Josh Allen to MVP candidate status
Allen did not step on the field for a single snap of Buffalo's two preseason games so far. Instead, backups Mitch Trubisky, Shane Buechele and Mike White combined for 461 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Despite not having the benefit of playing with top offensive weapons, that's still a far cry from the effectiveness Allen brings to the team. The three-time Pro Bowler threw for 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns last season, earning Associated Press MVP honors.
If he can repeat that kind of campaign and stay healthy, there is an ample case to be made for him to repeat as MVP. He's clearly the most valuable player on the Bills and if you were to take him away to put him on any other roster, he makes that team an automatic Super Bowl contender.
You can't ignore others like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, of course, but those teams feature a stacked supporting cast that could reasonably keep them contenders even if either go down with injury. If Buffalo loses Allen, their season is completely over and they better hope that doesn't happen in 2025.