Buffalo QB Josh Allen is the odds-on favorite to win NFL MVP, but he wasn’t always a star with the Bills.
On “The Season with Peter Schrager” podcast, Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey revealed to the host when he knew Allen was special.
“My first year here we went to the playoffs against Houston … after that game I knew he had the right makeup,” said Dorsey.
In a wild-card game on Jan. 4, 2020, Allen made incredible plays against the Texans as well as boneheaded ones, including this late run that started promising but ended poorly.
In the Bills’ 22-19 loss, Allen completed 24-of-46 passes for 264 yards and rushed nine times for a team-high 92 yards. He also had a 16-yard touchdown reception.
While he showed promise on the field that day, it was how Allen handled himself after the game that Dorsey knew what the QB was capable of.
“He stood up in front of everybody and said, ‘Look, we gotta be better, I gotta be better,'” said Dorsey. “He knew that in order for us to take the next step, he’s got to take the next step.”
There’s no mistaking the leap Allen made from his rookie season, and it’s no coincidence Buffalo is in the midst of its best stretch of football in 30 years.
During his rookie season in 2018, Allen played in 12 games, completing 52.8 percent of his passes for an average of 172.8 yards per game. This season, Allen is completing 66.9 percent of his passes for a league-leading average of 330 yards per game.
Per Oddschecker, Allen is the favorite to win the MVP Award at +125, and the Bills are favorites to win the Super Bowl at +290.
As Dorsey tells it, he bet this day would come before anyone else.
