In an era defined by quarterback excellence, one signal-caller has separated himself from the pack. Since the 2020 season, no quarterback in the National Football League has performed at a higher level than Buffalo Bills franchise cornerstone Josh Allen. According to comprehensive data from Pro Football Focus, Allen owns the highest overall grade among all quarterbacks since 2020, posting a remarkable mark of 96.9 — a figure that places him above a veritable Mount Rushmore of Super Bowl champions, league MVPs, and future Hall of Famers.
The analytics tell a compelling story of sustained excellence. Allen’s 96.9 grade edges out Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow (96.0), Kansas City Chiefs’ three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes (94.0), retired legend Tom Brady (93.5), and Baltimore Ravens’ two-time MVP Lamar Jackson (93.3). This isn’t merely a statistical curiosity or a product of volume statistics; it represents the most consistent high-level performance at football’s most demanding position over a six-year span that has reshaped expectations in Western New York.
The Foundation of Greatness
Allen’s elite PFF grade is built on a foundation of production that has fundamentally redefined what quarterback excellence looks like in the modern NFL. Since 2020, he leads all NFL players in total touchdowns — passing and rushing combined — and has been the quarterback of record for all 73 Bills regular-season victories, the most of any team during that period. His ability to impact the game through the air and on the ground creates matchup nightmares that defensive coordinators have yet to solve.
The 2025 season provided the latest evidence of Allen’s sustained brilliance. He finished the year with an 84.0 PFF passing grade, fifth in the NFL, and a 90.8 PFF overall grade that topped all quarterbacks. This marked his sixth consecutive season with a PFF overall grade above 90.0, extending his own record streak for quarterbacks since PFF began grading in 2006. No other quarterback in the grading era has maintained this level of excellence for this extended period.
Perhaps most impressively, Allen has demonstrated significant growth in the areas that once drew criticism from draft analysts and scouts. For the second straight year, he set a career low in turnover-worthy play rate at 2.4 percent, ranking sixth-best in the NFL. The quarterback who once entered the league with questions about accuracy and decision-making has transformed into one of the most efficient players in football. His 2025 regular season stats reflect this maturation: 3,668 passing yards, 25 touchdowns, and a 102.2 passer rating while completing 69.3 percent of his attempts.
The physical transformation has been equally remarkable. At 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, Allen combines the size of a linebacker with the arm strength of a howitzer and the mobility of a running back. Defenses must account for his ability to break tackles, extend plays, and punish blitzes with deep shots downfield. This unique skill set forms the foundation of a grading profile that rewards impact plays while acknowledging the structure he provides to Buffalo’s offense.
Playoff Perfection Under Pressure
If Allen’s regular season dominance is impressive, his playoff performances approach the legendary. According to PFF’s historical database, Allen now ranks as the second-highest-graded quarterback in playoff history among qualifiers with minimum 250 snaps, trailing only Patrick Mahomes with a 91.8 overall grade. This places him ahead of quarterbacks with multiple Super Bowl rings and decades of postseason experience.
The 2025 Wild Card Round against the Jacksonville Jaguars provided a masterclass in playoff quarterbacking. Allen earned a 94.0 PFF grade — his highest single-game mark since the 2021 playoffs — with an 8.6 percent big-time throw rate, zero turnover-worthy plays, and three total touchdowns. He became the first quarterback in NFL history to complete at least 80 percent of his passes while scoring multiple rushing touchdowns in a playoff game, a testament to his dual-threat capabilities on the sport’s biggest stage.
What truly distinguishes Allen, however, is his performance under duress. Against the Jaguars, when pressured by the pass rush, he completed 8-of-12 passes for 140 yards with two big-time throws and no turnover-worthy plays, good for a 91.8 grade in high-leverage situations. When blitzed, he went 11-for-14 with seven first downs, systematically dismantling Jacksonville’s attempts to confuse him with extra rushers. These numbers reflect a quarterback who has mastered the mental aspects of the position while retaining the physical tools that made him a top prospect.
The ability to perform when protection breaks down separates good quarterbacks from great ones, and Allen has consistently delivered in these moments. His combination of size, mobility, and arm strength allows him to escape collapsing pockets and find receivers downfield, creating explosive plays out of situations that would result in sacks or throwaways for less gifted players.
Historic Playoff Context
Allen’s playoff résumé now features four career games with a PFF grade above 90.0 — more than Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers combined in the PFF grading era, a staggering statistic considering those two quarterbacks own four Super Bowl victories and five MVP awards between them. His 94.8 grade in the 2021 Wild Card remains his career postseason high, but the 2025 Wild Card’s 94.0 passing grade actually exceeded that previous benchmark in terms of pure passing performance.
Player Playoff PFF Grade (Career) 90+ Grade Games Super Bowl Wins MVP Awards
Patrick Mahomes 92.1 5 3 2
Josh Allen 91.8 4 0 1
Aaron Rodgers 90.6 4 1 4
Tom Brady 89.3 3 7 3
Joe Burrow 91.2 3 0 0
Lamar Jackson 83.4 1 0 2
This places Allen in rarefied air among playoff performers. His combination of efficiency — zero turnover-worthy plays against Jacksonville — explosiveness with an 8.6 percent big-time throw rate, and fundamental tenacity makes him arguably the most complete playoff quarterback in the game today. The numbers suggest that when the lights shine brightest, Allen elevates his game rather than shrinking from the moment.
What makes Allen’s playoff resume particularly impressive is that he has achieved these grades despite playing in one of the most competitive eras in NFL history. The AFC features multiple Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks in Mahomes, Burrow, Jackson, and veteran stars like Russell Wilson and Justin Herbert. Every playoff path runs through a minefield of elite talent, yet Allen has consistently risen to meet the challenge.
The Coach’s Perspective
Those closest to Allen confirm what the analytics suggest. New Bills head coach Joe Brady, who spent the previous 2.5 seasons as offensive coordinator before being elevated to the top job, left no doubt about his quarterback’s standing in the league hierarchy.
“Everything I think about is trying to find ways to put him in a position to have success because that’s all I care about with him,” Brady said at his introductory press conference. “Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL. There’s no question in my mind about that, and my job is to make sure our coaching staff puts him in positions to showcase that talent every Sunday.”
Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, who coached Drew Brees during the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV run and spent over a decade working with a first-ballot Hall of Famer, is equally effusive about his new quarterback. The contrast in styles between the pinpoint accuracy of Brees and the overwhelming physicality of Allen hasn’t diminished Carmichael’s appreciation for what he sees on tape.
“I’m fired up to have an opportunity to work with Josh, really am,” Carmichael said during training camp. “All of a sudden, he can make a great play out of a play that is defended pretty well. He can tuck the ball and run. There’s just so much about his game that’s to be excited about. You draw something up on the board, and he can execute it, but then when the play breaks down, that’s when the real magic happens.”
General manager Brandon Beane, who traded up to select Allen seventh overall in the 2018 draft, has seen his faith rewarded beyond even his most optimistic projections. The executive has repeatedly stated that Allen’s work ethic and competitive drive match his physical gifts, creating a combination that is nearly impossible to defend.
Statistical Dominance Across Categories
Beyond the PFF grades, Allen’s statistical profile since 2020 places him in exclusive company. He is the only quarterback in NFL history with multiple seasons of 40 total touchdowns and 5,000 total yards. His 242 career touchdown passes through 2025 rank as the most by any player in their first eight seasons, surpassing legends like Peyton Manning and Dan Marino.
The rushing component of Allen’s game creates a unique analytical challenge for defenses. Since 2020, he has rushed for over 500 yards in four different seasons and scored 45 rushing touchdowns, the most by any quarterback in that span. This dual-threat capability forces defenses to account for an extra dimension that traditional pocket passers don’t provide.
Advanced metrics further illuminate Allen’s value. His EPA (Expected Points Added) per play since 2020 ranks third among all quarterbacks behind only Mahomes and Burrow. His success rate on third down, particularly third-and-long situations, consistently ranks among the league’s best. When the Bills face must-convert situations, Allen delivers at an elite level.
The Road Ahead
Despite Allen’s individual brilliance, the 2025 season ended in heartbreak for the second consecutive year. The Bills fell to the Denver Broncos in overtime of the Divisional Round, with Allen accounting for 349 yards and three touchdowns despite four turnovers that ultimately proved costly. The loss underscored both his importance to the franchise — without him, the game wouldn’t have been competitive — and the narrow margin between playoff success and failure in a conference loaded with elite quarterback talent.
Yet the future remains remarkably bright in Buffalo. With the NFL’s highest-graded quarterback since 2020 entering his prime at age 29, supported by a coaching staff that openly calls him the game’s best player, the Bills enter each season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Allen’s streak of seven straight double-digit win seasons and five MVP finalist appearances in six years suggests this level of play is sustainable well into the future.
PFF’s recent top-101 players from 2025 ranked Allen as the No. 10 overall player and second-highest quarterback, behind only NFL MVP Matthew Stafford. It’s a testament to the remarkable standard Allen has established — that a 90.8 overall grade, sixth straight 90-plus season, and career-low turnover rate somehow represent a slight dip from previous years when he finished even higher in the rankings.
The Bills have responded to their playoff disappointments by retooling the roster around their franchise quarterback. The offensive line has been fortified with young talent, the receiving corps features a mix of veteran savvy and youthful explosiveness, and the defense has been rebuilt to complement Allen’s high-scoring offense. General manager Brandon Beane has made it clear that every decision flows through the lens of maximizing Allen’s championship window.
Legacy Considerations
For Bills Mafia and the broader NFL audience, the message is clear: Josh Allen isn’t just having a great stretch of football. Since 2020, he has been the highest-graded quarterback in football, period. The only remaining box to check is the one that has eluded Buffalo for three decades — a Lombardi Trophy. If his playoff history is any indication, with four 90-plus grade games already under his belt and a 91.8 career playoff grade, that moment may be closer than it appears.
The comparison to other legendary quarterbacks who waited years for their first championship provides context and hope. Peyton Manning didn’t win his first Super Bowl until his ninth season. John Elway lost three Super Bowls before winning two at the end of his career. Drew Brees spent years in San Diego before finding championship success in New Orleans. The path to a title is rarely linear, even for the game’s greatest players.
Allen’s place in NFL history is already secure regardless of whether he eventually wins a championship. His combination of size, arm talent, athleticism, and production places him in a category with only a handful of players in league history. But for a competitor of his caliber, individual accolades will never satisfy the ultimate team goal.
The foundation has been laid, the numbers are undeniable, and the quarterback has proven he can perform when it matters most. Now it’s simply a matter of finishing the job. With Allen under center and a franchise committed to building around him, the Bills enter every season believing that this could be the year the drought ends and the Lombardi Trophy finally comes to Western New York.
