Bills QB Josh Allen Denied AFC Offensive Player of the Week Honors

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen played a masterful brand of football in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals defense. It was the kind of performance that has football fans and analysts predicting player of the week honors are coming.

Except this time for Josh Allen, who didn’t get the honor. The league’s most overrated player (by some 100 players) was denied a celebratory AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. Since entering the league, Allen has won 12 such awards, a hefty dose of which have come at the expense of the Miami Dolphins.

Who was named the AFC’s best offensive player in Week 1? It’s Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon.

Josh Allen deserved the Player of the Week award, but to be fair, so did Joe Mixon.

He had 159 yards rushing, which was only surpassed seven times by anyone all of last season. His 30 carries would have also tied for second all of last season.

Additionally, he had a touchdown and three catches.

— Patrick Moran (Talking Buffalo) (@PatrickMoranTB) September 11, 2024

Sure, Joe Mixon had a great game. Running backs in this era rarely claim such important roles as he found on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. As Patrick Moran notes, Mixon totaled 159 yards on the ground on 30 carries — which would have put him in the air last season. Mixon also added three catches and scored a touchdown.

But were those numbers really better than Allen’s era? Absolutely not. Allen finished 18 of 23 for 232 yards with two passing touchdowns; added nine rushes for 39 yards and two more touchdowns. Allen accounted for every touchdown in the Bills’ Week 1 victory.

There’s no denying that Allen has had a lot of success and has been well-regarded in previous seasons. But, oddly enough, a lightbulb seemed to go on in the Allen narrative earlier this offseason. Perhaps outsiders think he’s been given too much credit for the Bills’ success — and that he was a real man thanks to the great hands of wide receiver Stefon Diggs.

For much of the offseason, there has been much debate about how special Josh Allen is, and too many people are quick to claim that he is overrated. If Allen’s performance against the Cardinals is any example of his overrated play, the Bills Mafia will happily accept any ounce of Allen shade. However, a fair warning may be in order for those who still doubt Josh Allen. They will find out in time. Allentown and Hertel (“Hurdle”) Ave, for real.