Bills-Rams: Josh Allen's quest for a Super Bowl runs through L.A.

By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

Josh Allen occupies rarefied air, one of just a handful of superstars regarded as having the power to carry a team to an NFL championship, to hold his nerve in the most stressed moments of all, to drive for greatness.

It’s like its own little club, pro football’s collection of ultra-elite quarterbacks, entry typically denied to anyone who hasn’t shown themselves to be worthy — which usually means owning a Super Bowl ring.

Yet while the new season will begin with five members of the league’s starting QB corps having hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and another three having come within one victory of the ultimate prize, Allen comes in with the highest levels of hype and expectation.

Preseason rankings, surveys, predictions, fantasy football theories and Las Vegas odds have combined to tout the Buffalo Bills signal-caller as the man to watch ahead of the fresh campaign – which kicks off when the Bills visit the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night.

"[The Bills] are absolute juggernauts, based on what we saw last year," Super Bowl-winning former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings said on FS1’s "First Things First." "Everything we saw about the Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen leads me to believe this is the best team in football. Yes, they should be favorites — and why? Because they have the best quarterback."

FOX Bet lists the Bills as +600 Super Bowl favorites. A survey of NFL GMs conducted by The Athletic conveyed the overwhelming belief that Allen will be league MVP. When the NFL’s list of Top 100 players placed him at "only" 13th overall, there was a small outcry, especially in Western New York.

Allen has played into the attention, too, both by releasing his own hype video this week and also with his choice of summer hangout buddies. He took part in The Match, a golf game also featuring Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, in which his status as the only guy without a ring guaranteed he took some playful trash talk, especially from Brady.

Toward the end of preseason, he swapped jerseys and conversation with Russell Wilson ahead of a preseason game with the Denver Broncos. He feels like he belongs among the best of the best. Now comes the hard part – proving it. 

Step one comes on Thursday. For what finer way for a prospective standard-bearer for the league to show his muscle than in the opening game of the season, against the reigning Super Bowl champions, on a field that not only belongs to the Rams but is also the one where L.A. claimed the title in February.

Last season Allen threw for 4,407 yards and 36 touchdowns, but it was his nerveless performance in the AFC divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs that garnered the most attention and established him firmly at the top table.

If not for the 13 seconds of chaos involving Mahomes’ late drive down the field, the Bills would have been marching forward as favorites to win it all. Not only did Allen’s effort supercharge his level of due respect, but it also served as the impetus for a new playoff rule that ensures both teams will possess the ball at least once in overtime.

Allen appears filled with confidence and has a bevy of offensive weapons to target, headlined by outstanding wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, and powerful tight end Dawson Knox. On the other side of the ball, one of the best defenses in the league should give Allen a buffer, if needed.

Victory in L.A. would confirm the Bills, in many minds, as the team to beat. Allen, from Fresno County, Calif., has never played an NFL game in his home state before. Downing Matthew Stafford and company would be another notable milestone on his upwardly-mobile career to date.

"To have the hopes that we have, and the dreams and aspirations that we have, it's the first chance for us to take a step forward in the right direction," Allen told reporters.

In some ways, it is almost a free roll. A road defeat against the current Super Bowl champion would hardly qualify as a Week 1 disaster, though it should be noted that Buffalo’s early schedule is laced with difficulty.

The Bills will only play two home games before Week 8 and have the Rams, Chiefs and Packers – plus the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens – all in the first half of the season.

Such things have barely been mentioned in the buildup though, so high is the level of public confidence in Allen and the crew surrounding him.

As of right now the top dog in the camp of QB studs – or at least the one catching the most buzz – is the one still missing Super Bowl bragging rights.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter at @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.