Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time moments.
This general sports cliche, oft-used when discussing a particular athlete’s ‘clutch gene,’ is commonplace for a reason—it’s true. The best athletes, in any particular sport, show up when the lights are brightest. They thrive when their team needs them most, when the outcome of a game or season comes down to what they do in that particular moment.
And though Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen does not have the team-wide accolades on his resume that would suggest a knack for thriving in ‘clutch’ moments, this isn’t for his lack of trying. He often puts his team in advantageous positions to win, with the squad and brass around him making his efforts fall short due to no fault of his own; for proof of this idea, look no further than Buffalo’s 2021 Divisional Round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, a game in which Allen connected with Gabriel Davis on a 19-yard touchdown with just 13 ticks remaining on the clock to seemingly punch the team’s ticket to their second-consecutive AFC Championship appearance.
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The Chiefs drove down the field and tied the game with a last-second field goal, winning the game on the first possession of overtime.
This is just one of several examples of Allen’s knack for making big-time plays in big-time moments being overshadowed by team disappointment, but just as wins aren’t a quarterback statistic, ultimate game outcomes are not an indictment on a quarterback’s ‘clutch gene.’ A passer putting their team in a position to win and being let down by circumstances outside of their control does not mean that the signal-caller is not clutch.
This idea has been echoed in a recent CBS Sports article ranking the “NFL’s top 10 clutch quarterbacks;” writer Douglas Clawson slots Allen in at No. 4 on the list, mentioning the quarterback’s performance in the aforementioned Divisional Round loss at Arrowhead Stadium as a pertinent example of his ability in the clutch.
“Josh Allen is top 10 in every criteria mentioned off the top, including fifth in clutch drive conversation rate in both 2023 and for his career,” Clawson wrote. “He led three game-winning drives as the Bills finished last season on a five-game win streak and stole the AFC East title from Miami. And before you question his clutch credentials, just remember the heroics in a 42-36 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a few years ago.”
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Only Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, Houston Texans passer C.J. Stroud, and Kansas City Chiefs world-beater Patrick Mahomes slot in above Allen on the list. It’s difficult to be too upset about Allen slotting in at fourth on any ranking, but it’s a bit odd to see Stroud placed above the Buffalo signal-caller; Stroud was admittedly remarkable in the clutch in his rookie season (with Clawson noting that the Texans converted on “6 of 8 game-tying or go-ahead drive chances” with Stroud at quarterback), but the overall sample size is much, much smaller.
The placement, otherwise, seems generally fair, especially after diving into Allen’s statistics in clutch moments throughout his professional career. He’s led 13 fourth-quarter comebacks and 19 game-winning drives throughout his six NFL seasons, according to Pro Football Reference, good for eighth amongst active starters. He helmed four game-winning drives throughout the 2023 season, per PFR, including one in the regular season finale against the Miami Dolphins to secure Buffalo its fourth consecutive AFC East title.
If one wanted to get pedantic, however, Allen does have seven more career fourth-quarter comebacks than Hurts, per PFR—again, the sample sizes don’t necessarily add up here, but a compelling argument to slot Allen ahead of the Philadelphia quarterback could be made. Arbitrary arguments aside, Allen is one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, his skill often shining through in moments at which his team needs him most—it’s nice to see this truth mentioned by a national outlet.
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