Fans Tout Bills' Josh Allen as MVP After 'Masterclass' to Clinch NFL Playoff Berth
December 18, 2022
For the fourth straight season and the fifth time in six years, the Buffalo Bills are headed to the postseason.
Buffalo clinched its AFC playoff berth on Saturday with a 32-29 victory over the Miami Dolphins at a snowy Highmark Stadium.
Quarterback Josh Allen put on a show to help the Bills edge the Dolphins, completing 25-of-40 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 77 yards on 10 carries.
Allen's MVP-worthy performance was praised by NFL Twitter as he was the best player on the field Saturday:
NFL Research @NFLResearchOnly 2 QBs in NFL history with 50+ wins and 130+ pass TD over their first 5 seasons:<br><br>- Patrick Mahomes<br>- Josh Allen (reached both milestones tonight)<a href="https://twitter.com/Chiefs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Chiefs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BuffaloBills</a>
For the Bills, the only major question left in the regular season is whether they can top the Kansas City Chiefs for the top overall seed in the AFC. The Bills hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, so they'll only need to finish with the same record as Kansas City to secure home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Much of Buffalo's success, yet again, can be tied to the play of Allen, who at one point looked like the front-runner to win the MVP award but may still be lagging behind Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts and 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes despite Saturday's performance.
Still, the 26-year-old has been excellent, entering Saturday's game having thrown for 3,553 yards, 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 63.8 percent of his passes. He also had rushed for 628 yards and seven scores.
His top receiver, Stefon Diggs, has also put on a show with 94 catches for 1,239 yards and 10 touchdowns entering Saturday's game.
The Bills will head into the playoffs plenty battle-tested, with wins over the Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and New York Jets. Their three losses, meanwhile, have come by a combined eight points against the Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings (overtime) and Jets.
The AFC East has been stronger than expected this season, with all four teams in legitimate striking distance of a playoff berth. One of them, at least, has already clinched. The Bills now await to see which of their rivals will join them.