Projecting Josh Allen’s 2024 Buffalo Bills Stats

It took the Buffalo Bills more than two decades to find their franchise quarterback after Jim Kelly walked away from the NFL. When the 2018 NFL Draft arrived, there was no doubt the Bills were going to draft a quarterback. They had just made the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons with Tyrod Taylor in Sean McDermott’s first year as head coach, then traded Taylor to the Cleveland Browns. Brandon Beane had two first-round picks heading into the draft, but made several trades to move up the rankings. On the first night of the draft, the Bills traded up five spots in the top 10 to draft Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen.

The Bills left Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson on the board, which turned out to be the right decision (even though Jackson is a two-time MVP). In his first two seasons, Allen struggled with growing pains but also showed flashes of superstardom. The first big play of Allen’s career that caught the attention of fans came in Week 3 against the Minnesota Vikings, where he darted out of the pocket in the middle of the field and jumped over linebacker Anthony Barr to pick off a first down.

By the time the 2020 season began, Allen had the best supporting cast around him with Cole Beasley, John Brown, and newcomer Stefon Diggs. Allen finished second in MVP voting and helped the Bills finish 13-3, winning the AFC East for the first time in 25 years, and even taking the Bills to the AFC Championship Game.

Allen has led the Bills to the division title every year since then and is 63-30 so far in his career. While he has moments that make you scratch your head about his decision-making, he makes up for it with his dynamic play, whether it’s throwing the ball 60-plus yards, running for 20-plus yards or hurdling or trucking past a defender.

The biggest flaw in Allen’s game is his interception count. He’s only had one season where he didn’t throw more than 10 interceptions (9 in 2019). Last season was one of Allen’s worst years in terms of throwing the ball. Although he threw for over 4,300 yards, he only threw 29 touchdowns to 18 interceptions. Sure, there may have been plays where the ball bounced off the receivers’ hands, but Allen himself has committed a fair number of careless turnovers. In fact, he’s only had three games where he hasn’t thrown an interception.

However, 2024 is a fresh start for Allen. He returns with Joe Brady (who is the full-time offensive coordinator) and has new weapons around him as well as a few returning players from last year. Once Brady took over, Allen only caught two passes for over 300 yards and averaged just under 240 yards per game. At the same time, the Bills found their running game with James Cook and didn’t need Allen to play superhero every week. It was a type of football Bills fans hadn’t seen in a long time, since Allen was drafted.

Finishing with 4,306 passing yards, Allen notched his fourth straight season of 4,000+ passing yards. In 2024, Allen has a different offense around him, which may impact his passing stats, but he’s still the same dynamic player who can now elevate others around him. Not to mention, we have to factor in the impact he brings in the running game. Even though the focus on the running game has shifted away from him, Allen still ran for over 500 yards and a career-high in rushing touchdowns (15).

Bills fans should be excited to see Allen throw the ball for the Bills again this season, despite the changes the team made this offseason.