Mahomes vs. Allen | What If Josh Allen was drafted to Kansas City?

Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen is the newest rivalry of the modern generation – but the spotlight on Patrick Mahomes has blinded NFL fans from the context needed to understand what has led their careers down their respective path.

Whenever the debate between Mahomes and Allen is brought up, people quickly proclaim Mahomes as the better quarterback without hesitation.

"Patrick Mahomes has won both playoff matchups!"

"Patrick Mahomes has two Super Bowl Championships!"

"Look at the numbers; Patrick Mahomes has better stats!"

But..

What if Josh Allen was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes was drafted by the Buffalo Bills? What if Josh Allen was drafted by a 12-4 team, able to sit his rookie season, and have Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce in Andy Reid's system? What if Patrick Mahomes immediately began his career with Kelvin Benjamin and Charles Clay and played for a defensive head coach?

We'll never know. Unlike Mahomes, Josh Allen has only been given one number-one option in Stefon Diggs, various mid-tier weapons, a defensive head coach in an offensive league, and various offensive coordinators. Allen hasn't been able to rely on a coaching system that placed his targets in wide-open passing windows for him to pick apart. That's why Allen has been in the top 5 in rushing touchdowns since 2020 – as a quarterback. In totality, Josh Allen has had 4 straight seasons scoring 40+ touchdowns, the most in league history.

Mahomes' salary cap is in full effect, and suddenly, he's facing what Josh Allen has had to deal with every season. Mahomes doesn't arguably have the 2 best offensive weapons in the NFL to pair with the prolific play-calling of Andy Reid. He can't rely on his receivers to apply enormous passing windows, and he can't depend on his receivers to have the most YAC in the league like they did last season without Hill. This season, Patrick Mahomes had to be the offensive system like Allen has been and find a way to carry his offense with his number one target and various mid-tier targets – Mahomes had the worst season of his career in all categories.

On Friday's episode of "SPEAK" on FS1, co-host Emmanuel Acho asked, "What if Josh Allen was the one playing with Andy Reid? In THAT system, with Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, in Arrowhead Stadium in all those playoff matchups?" Suddenly, the room went silent, with former NFL running back LeSean McCoy stating, "Man, I don't even want to think about that. You're going to make me start thinking about a bunch of scenarios because Josh Allen with ANDY REID? Josh Allen can run AND throw; he does it all!"

On FS1's other show, "First Things First," co-host Nick Wright consistently mentions Mahomes' superior statistics, Super Bowl championships, and head-to-head playoff victories. Wright continuously mentions the Chiefs' infamous 2021 AFC Divisional round overtime playoff victory, set up by Patrick Mahomes' "13-second" drive that set up the game-tying field goal to go into overtime. While Nick Wright uses their infamous battle as the defining moment in their rivalry, I do too - but for other reasons.

Mahomes' "13-second" playoff win against the Bills perfectly reflects their career paths. In just 2 plays, Patrick Mahomes threw a 5-yard pass to Tyreek Hill - who then ran an additional 15 yards. Immediately afterward, Mahomes throws a 15-yard pass to a wide-open Travis Kelce, who runs an additional 9 yards. The rest was history - the Bills never had the ball again. In one of the greatest playoff games of the modern era, Mahomes was able to rely on both Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in wide-open passes created by Andy Reid to defeat Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in a game where Josh Allen universally outperformed Patrick Mahomes in his own stadium.

Today, the two quarterbacks will face off for the third time (playoffs) in their rivalry; now, neither quarterback will have significantly more resources, and the game will be in Buffalo for the first time.

Featured image - The Bills and Josh Allen, left, defeated the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, 38-20, on Oct. 10. 2022 KEVIN SABITUS/ASSOCIATED PRESS