Report: Bills' Josh Allen 'More Involved Than Ever' as Leader amid NFL MVP Buzz

Josh Allen could be bolstering his MVP chances by taking on a larger leadership role in the Buffalo Bills locker room.

ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote that Bills players "talked about the increase in Allen's leadership in this offense and how he has taken ownership of that role on a team in transition."

"Players in the locker room say Allen is more involved than ever in making sure he's attentive to what players want and what kinds of plays and routes the receivers and tight ends like the most," Graziano wrote. "That includes connecting with the defensive players on a personal level to a greater extent than he had before."

According to Graziano, the change came this offseason as Allen saw the need to step up when the Bills lost veterans like cornerback Tre'Davious White, safety Jordan Poyer and center Mitch Morse.

The MVP buzz surrounding Allen increased when he recorded touchdowns passing, rushing and receiving in a 35-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to clinch the AFC East. He is the first quarterback in NFL history to achieve the feat in the same game.

Allen recorded a passing and receiving touchdown in the same play after he ran his own pass into the end zone in the third quarter following a lateral from Amari Cooper.

He then ran in another touchdown to extend the Bills' lead even further in the fourth.

Heading in to Week 14, Allen ranks 14th in the NFL with 2,691 passing yards and eighth with 334 rushing yards while tying for sixth with 20 touchdown passes.

He also ranks second with a total QBR of 74.5. He has arguably been more consistent than the Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson, and his AFC East-leading team has better results than Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals.

Allen will still compete with position players like Philadelphia Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley for the MVP award.

But his memorable Week 13 performance is likely to give him the edge in the race among quarterbacks and could help convince voters he is the most important player to his team in the NFL. It is difficult to imagine the Bills' path to the top of the division without Allen under center.

Reports hyping his leadership skills could provide additional credit to his MVP candidacy. The Bills are 10-2 for the first time since the 1991 season, and the more credit Allen can take for that start the better his case will be.