National Football League

Why Bills' Josh Allen is under most pressure of any NFL player

Updated Jan. 18, 2023 11:04 a.m. ET

Zach Wilson plays in the country's biggest market, yet FOX Sports NFL writer David Helman believes that Josh Allen is under much greater pressure than him this season.

The Buffalo Bills' quarterback has proven far more in the NFL than the New York Jets' second-year QB, and that is a big reason why Helman believes Allen is under more pressure between the two AFC East quarterbacks. Allen has emerged as one of the league's best players over the past couple of seasons, helping the Bills become a Super Bowl contender.

"I think the world is on that guy's shoulders," Helman said on Thursday's "Speak For Yourself." "The Buffalo Bills were Browns-esque for 20 years. Up until they broke their playoff drought in 2017, they had the biggest one in American sports. It feels like a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Because they've been on this door for three years."

Is Josh Allen under more pressure than Zach Wilson?

Josh Allen's play over the past couple of seasons and Buffalo's contender status place more pressure on the Bills' QB, according to FOX Sports' David Helman.

Allen's club has fallen to the same team in each of the past two postseasons. Following the 2020 regular season, Buffalo lost to the then-defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 in the AFC Championship Game. Last season, the Bills took a three-point lead with 13 seconds remaining in the AFC Divisional Round game against the Chiefs, but Kansas City tied the game at the buzzer and won 42-36 in overtime.

Despite those setbacks, Helman believes that the Bills are on the doorstep of a Super Bowl title.

"You know the whole city of Buffalo is waiting for a chance to make amends for that [loss]," Helman said of last year's playoff classic. "[The Bills] are one of two, three true Super Bowl contenders. In the month of August, it's the Bills, it's the Chiefs, it's the Rams. They are in that conversation."

The Bills actually enter the 2022 campaign as the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl (+650 on FOX Bet). With expectations so high, Helman believes Allen is under a lot of pressure to bring a Lombardi Trophy to a franchise that has never won one and boasts "the best" fan base.

Is Josh Allen "best QB in the NFL"?

Last month Bills safety Jordan Poyer called his teammate "the best QB in the NFL." Marcellus Wiley and Emmanuel Acho debate if Josh Allen is the best in the AFC and the entire league.

"Another wrinkle of this that I love, I think Buffalo is, don't get mad at me, I think you all are the best fans and the best vibe in the NFL," Helman said. "It's the closest thing to a college football vibe. The whole city revolves around that team. It's on Josh Allen to get them to a Super Bowl, which they've never won by the way.

"I think this dude is under more pressure than just about anybody in the league."