A wildly unpredictable NFL season has also impacted the Buffalo Bills. After years of ruling the AFC East, they now trail the surging New England Patriots, who MVP candidate Drake Maye has propelled. Yet despite the shifting landscape, Buffalo remains firmly in the playoff race thanks to the continued elite play of reigning MVP Josh Allen.
Allen’s late-game magic was on full display last week, leading a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to push the Bills to 9–4. His top receiver, Khalil Shakir, has taken notice, and he’s now sending a bold message to the rest of the NFL about just how special his quarterback truly is.
Khalil Shakir Makes Bold Claim About Josh Allen
It wasn’t pretty in Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals as Buffalo trailed 28–18 with just 8:44 left in the fourth quarter, staring down a damaging loss. But Allen delivered yet another vintage comeback, willing Buffalo back into playoff position and closer to securing a Wild Card berth.
Allen completed 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdowns, while also adding 78 rushing yards and a score on just nine carries. Thanks to his all-around dominance, Buffalo put up 39 points and escaped with a five-point victory.
With 22 passing touchdowns and 12 rushing touchdowns on the season, Allen has now recorded at least 20 passing TDs and 10 rushing TDs in a season for the third time, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to reach that mark. And for Shakir, there’s no debate now about where his quarterback ranks.
“Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL, hands down,” Shakir told RG. “What he’s able to do, how he’s able to take over a game, the throws that he’s able to make, the times that he wants to use his feet, how he’s able to do that as well. Obviously, being on his team, knowing the adjustments and stuff that he makes throughout a game, it’s just unreal. Like the dude is hands down the best player in the league, absolutely.”
PFSN’s QB Impact metric backs up Shakir’s claim, ranking Allen No. 1 in the NFL with a score of 91.3, while Maye sits third at 88.6. Allen is firmly in the MVP race once again as well, though Maye remains the current favorite, in part due to Allen’s 12 turnovers.
Next up for Buffalo is a critical road matchup against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium. With New England emerging from its bye week hot and Buffalo still chasing the division crown, the Bills may need a Week 15Â win to keep their AFC East title hopes alive.
