Hindsight is always 20-20, but here’s how far things have come for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets under center: The Jets are now complimenting the Bills.
Currently Bills quarterback Josh Allen is being named in MVP discussions. That comes after his 2020 season in which he finished second in voting for the award.
The Jets, on the other hand, are hoping for anything close to that when it comes to their situation.
Rookie quarterback Zach Wilson is starting under center for Gang Green and he’s struggling. That’s not exactly a knock against him, he’s a young guy. Allen had troubles early, too.
Speaking of which, the Jets themselves actually pointed that out recently.
After Week 5, New York head coach Robert Saleh took an opportunity to put Wilson’s early struggles into focus… using Allen.
“It’s not easy being a rookie quarterback, never has been, never will be,” Saleh said via the team’s website. “Josh Allen the first five games of his rookie year, the numbers were the same as what our guy is going through. I know it can be frustrating sometimes, but it’s going to start clicking. It’s a rollercoaster ride and you have to take the good with the good, and the bad with the bad.”
To Saleh’s point, he’s right. In Allen’s first five games, he had five interceptions with just two touchdowns, a 55.7 completion percentage, and a 62.5 passer rating.
Wilson has thrown more picks, nine in total, with four touchdowns, a 57.3 completion percentage and a passer rating of just 62.9.
But the point here isn’t the similar comparison of numbers, it’s the sweet taste Bills Mafia probably has reading that.
In 2018, the Jets did have a chance to take Allen. Instead, they opted to select Sam Darnold, who is now onto the Carolina Panthers and Allen… has become Allen.
If that wasn’t enough for Buffalo, the Jets QB himself also got into the Allen praise.
“I understand that Josh Allen has gotten really good with just being able to get more reps and getting used to this NFL game. He’s obviously super talented and very confident player. I know that time will come for me,” Wilson said via video conference. “I have high expectations for myself.”
Awfully nice of them.
For what it’s worth, the Bills and Jets will first faceoff in Week 10.
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