Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are the closest quarterback match in the NFL, says Chris Simms
Watch the NFL Monday night double-header - Chiefs @ Bills and Cardinals @ Cowboys - live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.45pm
Tuesday 20 October 2020 05:22, UK
Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen has been described as being the quarterback most like 2018 league MVP, and reigning Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes, according to former NFL QB Chris Simms.
The two, young gunslingers who are leading contenders in the Most Valuable Player race for 2020 square off as Mahomes' Chiefs travel to the Bills on Monday night - live on Sky Sports NFL from 10pm.
"I cannot wait to watch this," Simms said on Pro Football Talk. "All the things I said about [Aaron] Rodgers vs [Tom] Brady being the marquee matchup, I taken them all off the table; I forgot about this game. This is the one I'm most excited to see,"
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"Two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the game right now. For my money, Allen has entered the 'top-five quarterbacks in football' conversation, from what we've seen through the first five weeks of the year.
"Josh Allen is going to be aware of the moment - he's had this great year - and I would say, as far as making magic happen like Mahomes does, he is second in football in terms of being most like him. That's why I'm really excited to see this, especially when you add in the weapons they have at their disposal."
"The perception is still there [that Allen can be reckless], no doubt, but he's washing it away. Last year he improved and this year again. He is going to make a few mistakes here and there - the game is all on him - but still, more times than not, he has been mistake free.
"We'll see if he can keep that going. Because that's the amazing thing about Mahomes, and Rodgers. The two greatest gunslingers we've ever seen and they take care of the ball as well as anyone too - that's why they're really special."
'Bills will get Mahomes' full attention'
Mike Florio agreed with his PFT colleague on the quarterback matchup, but added that both teams will be "desperate" for a win and to avoid dropping back-to-back games.
Both teams sit at 4-1 on the season, each suffering surprise losses in Week Five, with the Chiefs beaten at home by the Raiders and Bills trounced by the Titans in their first game for 16 days.
Florio said on the early MVP contenders: "Russell Wilson, when he makes magic happen, it's so seamless, you don't even realise it's happening. When Mahomes does it, there's a flair to it, it's 'are you not entertained?' - getting you on the edge of your seat, even though you know how it's going to end, that it's going to work out when all is said and done.
"With Allen, he is the guy who is walking on the tightrope, with no net and the wind blowing. You really don't know what is going to happen. That, in and of itself, makes it exciting but he is the one of the three who is most likely to have something bad happen when he is trying to make something good happen.
"This one is going to be tough. Both teams are so desperate.
"But I think this is one of those games where you get the full focus of Mahomes and the Chiefs. He is going to have an extra edge to him after losing to the Raiders unexpectedly - and having this platform on Monday night.
"We do see this from the Chiefs from time to time. They lost back-to-back games at home last year to the Colts and the Texans.
"We've seen them be streaky as to when and where they find the gas pedal. There is only one game of theirs that really stands out, and it is the Ravens game.
"When they're fully focussed on an opponent, that's when they're lights out. When they're not, that's where they give us these games that make us say, 'where is the defending Super Bowl champion?'
"We need to see the way they were two weeks' ago [in the win over the Ravens], with Patrick Mahomes and the little chip on his shoulder.
"The Bills are going to have their full attention."
'Le'Veon Bell addition adds whole new dynamic'
The Kansas City offence got even more explosive this week with the addition of two-time All Pro and three-time Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell into their backfield.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets back joins 2020 first-round draft pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the Chiefs backfield and Good Morning Football's Peter Schrager believes the move will bring out the best in both.
"I think Edwards-Helaire will be just fine; it might be the best thing to happen to him," Schrager said. "That offence, it's a two running-back offence. It always has been under Andy Reid.
"There's already so much on Clyde's plate, and so what does Le'Veon bring? He brings a goal-line back that is one of the best in the league, he also brings pass protection - one of the best backs in the league at that - and now they again have a true, two running back system that they haven't had through the first five weeks.
"Look at their running backs from last season and how that room looked. It was big-game Damien Williams at the end but, throughout the year, they had different guys carrying the ball and catching the ball.
"So far, this year, it has truly just been Clyde. It's a long season and now they have got two 'receiving' backs, which in that offence is so coveted. Both of them can excel in that area.
"Edwards-Helaire is a fantastic player, this is nothing against him. If anything, this is going to help him. But for the Chiefs as a whole and their offence, Bell brings an entirely different look to the team.
"If they can utilise both of these guys, it adds a whole new dynamic to the Chiefs.
"A reboot to Le'Veon's career, but also a reboot to the Chiefs' offence this season that has been stalling the past few weeks."
Watch the Chiefs at the Bills as part of a Monday night NFL double-header, live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.45am.
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Lamar Jackson. Patrick Mahomes. Over the last two seasons, we've seen two young star quarterbacks have head-turning, highlight-making, eventual MVP-winning sophomore seasons.
Mahomes wowed with his arm, breaking out with a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown year, and followed it with a Super Bowl-winning encore and a half-billion-dollar contract.
Jackson, meanwhile, was unstoppable through the air and on the ground last season. In his third season, who knows?
Comparisons to those two are lofty, but if there's one player who could experience a similar year-two leap, it is Arizona's Kyler Murray.
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Watch the Chiefs at the Bills as part of a Monday night NFL double-header, live on Sky Sports NFL from 9.45am.
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