Josh Allen, Bills leave no doubt in win over Chiefs: They’re NFL’s best team

By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

There's no denying Josh Allen on the field. Not right now.

When he wants to win, he pretty much always wins. And that now extends to games against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Allen is the best quarterback in the NFL.

No, I'm not talking about who's best in a vacuum. Mahomes is probably just as good as Allen. It's impossible to say who's better individually. But that doesn't matter. Right now, Allen has the superior team — best in the league (sorry, Eagles fans) — and, in part due to that, he is the best quarterback in the world. There's no doubt about it.

He just has so many ways of beating you, from arcing touch passes to ropey fastballs to hurdling runs to powerful QB sneaks. And he has two receivers (Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis) and a tight end (Dawson Knox) who are getting the most out of him.

The Bills used Allen for all that he was worth in their 24-20 win over the Chiefs on Sunday. He was 27-of-40 for 329 yards and three passing touchdowns. He added 12 carries for 32 yards, including one of the most impressive plays of the game — a 16-yard carry when he jumped over a Chiefs defender on the way to a first down.

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In their latest epic matchup, Allen stared down Mahomes. And Mahomes blinked — not Allen. That's another indicator of a paradigm shift in the AFC. Now, the Bills still may have to beat the Chiefs in the postseason; that's where it's most important. But Buffalo got a confidence-builder on Sunday. Allen got his second win over Mahomes, which means the Bills QB is now 2-3 against his biggest rival in the NFL. It's a heck of a lot better than 1-4.

Sometimes, teams develop a little-brother complex against their rival atop the conference. Look at Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Manning was just 6-11 against Brady — and Manning didn't beat Brady in the postseason until he joined the Broncos. For decades, Manning played second fiddle to Brady in the AFC when it came to the postseason. Brady earned his greatness in Super Bowls while Manning racked up MVP trophies.

Perhaps Allen won't take Manning's role. Perhaps this new era of top QBs will have more parity and therefore will be more complicated — which only means a better viewing experience for us.

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Of course, Chiefs fans are probably thinking that this still could be exactly what happened with Manning and Brady. Allen has only beaten Mahomes in the regular season. In the past two postseasons, Mahomes beat Allen. So that just builds drama for the playoffs. Maybe, just maybe, the Bills will get a chance to knock off the Chiefs there, too.

Because Allen isn't just the better quarterback right now. He also has the better team. Diggs is among the NFL's top 10 receivers. Davis looks like he's among the top 10 WR2s. Von Miller, who had two sacks on Sunday, seems to be aging as well as Brady. And the Bills defense, which has an impressive smattering of talent in the front and back end, is playing tremendous complementary football.

Perhaps that's why Allen didn't look worried when he gave Mahomes a full minute to respond after the Bills took the lead over the Chiefs. While Mahomes completed 25 of 40 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns, he added two interceptions, including the game-clinching turnover. Taron Johnson, one of the Bills' many cornerbacks who have thrived this season, managed to pick off Mahomes to end the game.

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The beauty of the Mahomes-Allen rivalry is that it's far from settled. But if Allen had lost, it would have taken some momentum out of their battle.

How many people were rooting for Tennessee to upset Alabama this weekend? And for the Guardians to beat the Yankees? Sports are more interesting when the Unbeatable Dynasty falls. Right now, the Chiefs are that team. The NFL is more interesting if Kansas City is fallible.

Thanks to Allen, the Chiefs look vulnerable. And that's a win for everyone outside Kansas City.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.