Bills QB Josh Allen named one of NFL’s most decisive players

Great players make great moves in great moments.

This general sports cliché, often used to refer to a particular athlete’s “clutch gene,” is common for a reason: It’s true. The best athletes, in any sport, are at their best when the spotlight is on them. They thrive when their team needs them most, when the outcome of a game or a season depends on what they do in that moment.

And while Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen doesn’t have the team-wide accolades on his resume that would suggest a knack for thriving in decisive moments, it’s not for lack of trying. He often puts his team in advantageous positions to win, with the team and management around him derailing his efforts through no fault of his own; for evidence of this notion, look no further than Buffalo’s 2021 divisional round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a game in which Allen connected with Gabriel Davis on a 19-yard touchdown pass with just 13 ticks left on the clock to seemingly punch the team’s ticket to its second straight AFC Championship Game.

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The Chiefs drove down the field and tied the game with a last-second field goal, winning the game on the first possession of overtime.

This is just one example of Allen’s ability to make big plays in big moments, overshadowed by the team’s disappointment. But just as wins are not a quarterback’s statistic, the ultimate outcome of a game is not an indictment of a quarterback’s “decisive gene.” A passer who puts his team in a position to win and is let down by circumstances beyond his control does not mean the signal-caller is not decisive.

This idea was echoed in a recent CBS Sports article ranking the “Top 10 Decisive Quarterbacks in the NFL”; writer Douglas Clawson placed Allen at No. 4 on the list, citing the quarterback’s performance in the aforementioned divisional round loss at Arrowhead Stadium as a fitting example of his ability to be decisive.

“Josh Allen is in the top 10 in all of the above metrics, including fifth in game-winning drive conversion rate in 2023 and for his entire career,” Clawson wrote. “He led three game-winning drives as the Bills finished last season on a five-game winning streak and stole the AFC East title from Miami. And before you question his game-winning qualities, just remember his heroics in a 42-36 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a few years ago.”

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Only Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Houston Texans passer CJ Stroud and Kansas City Chiefs world champion Patrick Mahomes rank above Allen on the list. It’s hard to be too disappointed that Allen ranks fourth on any list, but it’s a little odd to see Stroud placed above Buffalo’s playmaker; Stroud was outstanding in decisive moments during his rookie season (Clawson noted the Texans converted “6 of 8 game-tying or game-winning drives” with Stroud at quarterback), but the overall sample size is much, much smaller.

The ranking, however, seems generally fair, especially after diving into Allen’s stats in decisive moments throughout his professional career. He has led 13 fourth-quarter comebacks and 19 game-winning drives in his six NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Reference, which ranks eighth among active starters. He has led four game-winning drives throughout the 2023 season, according to PFR, including one in the regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins to secure Buffalo’s fourth straight AFC East title.

If you want to be pedantic, Allen does indeed have seven more fourth-quarter comebacks than Hurts, according to PFR. Again, the sample sizes don’t necessarily match up, but a compelling argument could be made for Allen ahead of the Philadelphia quarterback. Arbitrary arguments aside, Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, his talent often shining through when his team needs him most. It’s nice to see that truth mentioned by a national outlet.

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