Josh Allen crowned the NFL's undisputed king ahead of Patrick Mahomes
Josh Allen has finally done what no quarterback could for six years.
Since entering the NFL in 2018 , Josh Allen has inevitably been compared to Patrick Mahomes . While the Buffalo Bills quarterback has owned the rivalry in the regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs star has consistently gotten the better of him in the playoffs.
Allen holds a 5-1 record against Mahomes in the regular season, but the three-time Super Bowl champion boasts a perfect 4-0 postseason record against Buffalo's franchise quarterback.
However, heading into the 2026 NFL season , Allen can finally claim a victory over his biggest rival. The Bills signal-caller has dethroned Mahomes from the top spot in Albert Breer's annual quarterback rankings, ending a six-year reign.
Josh Allen ends Patrick Mahomes' reign
In last year's rankings, Allen finished No. 2, trailing only Mahomes, who had held the top spot for six consecutive seasons.
This time, the Buffalo quarterback earned 427 points and 49 first-place votes, finishing 71 points and 16 first-place votes ahead of Matthew Stafford, who ranked second. The rankings were based on 104 ballots submitted by representatives from all 32 NFL teams, including 20 head coaches and 21 general managers.
“Allen’s the most feared player in football because he’s grown into a quarterback who affects the defense on every single level — and this is one of those where NFL coaches and evaluators had little doubt about what he was becoming even when the general public had questions,” Breer wrote. “So it makes sense that now, with more questions arising, there are plenty of NFL folks anticipating he’ll hit another level in Buffalo’s new setup.”
An NFL vice president of player personnel echoed that sentiment.
“He’s still the most dangerous all around and the offense may be less conservative this year.”
Meanwhile, Mahomes dropped to No. 4 in the rankings.
“I figured he’d fall a little bit, but I didn’t anticipate that he’d be left off 18 ballots,” Breer continued. “But Allen was already gaining on him after Mahomes won over 90% of the first-place votes in 2020, ’22, ’23 and ’24. Those who’ve stuck to their guns on him this year point to the expected improvement of the run game, with Kenneth Walker III aboard (Josh Simmons’s health will be important in that regard).”
