The Buffalo Bills have started the 2024 NFL season a perfect 2-0 after dominating the Miami Dolphins 31-10 last Thursday night. Several players have shown flashes of excitement in the first two games of the season, but it's (predictably) their quarterback who is receiving the loudest praise locally and nationally.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated wrote about Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen in his “NFL Week 2 Takeaways” article, noting that the former All-Pro is a solid candidate for NFL MVP at this point in the season.

“I think Josh Allen has to be in everyone's MVP conversations for the time being,” Breer wrote in his article. “Yes, it's only Week 2. But in many ways, the Buffalo Bills quarterback is showing signs of being able to do things similar to what Patrick Mahomes has done the past two years: leading a team that's getting younger through a roster rebuild as the transition from a quarterback on a rookie contract to one on a big second contract takes shape.”

Allen started the season as well as any quarterback can, completing 73.8% of his passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns, along with 41 rushing yards and two more runs. The only blemish on his season was the opening drive of his team's victory in Week 1, when he dropped the ball on a strip sack by Roy Lopez. Since then, he's been as good as any quarterback in the NFL.

Breer added that despite the loss of several key players on offense and defense, Allen has broken new ground and taken the team to a new level.

“He was in control,” Breer wrote. “He was a leader. The team never seemed to have much doubt about how the night (in Week 2) would turn out, just as it maintained its confidence four days earlier when the Bills fell behind early against the Arizona Cardinals. It was also really just a continuation of the way the team has followed the example of Allen, who has stood out as a leader all offseason.”

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Allen's role as a leader was discussed throughout the offseason, as people at all levels of the organization noticed his development in that area of ​​the game. After the win against Miami, Bills head coach Sean McDermott praised Allen for developing a team-first mentality throughout the team.

That approach was seen firsthand Thursday night, when Allen threw for just 139 yards on 19 passing attempts. It was a run-heavy attack for Buffalo, as they totaled 108 yards on 26 attempts (including Mitchell Trubisky's two kneeling attempts at the end of the game). Allen wasn't asked to play Superman in the win, and he kept his cape off and celebrated while his teammates had consistent success.

Several more stats like those against Miami probably won't help Allen win MVP honors, but his Week 1 performance, past dominance and development as a leader make him a compelling MVP candidate at this point. He'll look to continue to round out his resume as the season progresses.

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