Josh Allen – as we write this sentence – is not a Pro Bowl quarterback.
So, what is he – and, by extension, what are these Buffalo Bills?
Well, we can start by asking the quarterback himself what they are not. Allen spoke to that in the hours after their most lopsided loss of the season, against the Indianapolis Colts back in Week 11. That 41-15 result cost the Bills their lead in the AFC East.
"We know who we are," Allen said then. "And what we put out there on the field, that's not who we are."
The Bills went to work on proving that with varying results. They took care of business in New Orleans on Thanksgiving but struggled to find the end zone in a windy home loss to New England. They strung together a compelling comeback that fell short in Tampa.
"I think he just does a really good job of watching the rush lanes," Patriots linebacker Kyle van Noy told reporters afterward. "He has a good feel in the pocket, he did a pretty good job tonight, extended some plays. We just got to do a better job of matching that same energy he had."
Make no mistake – Allen had help. Isaiah McKenzie stepped in for Cole Beasley and had a career game, amassing 11 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. The embattled offensive line overcame the early loss of Ike Boettger to an injury and did not allow a sack, with Dion Dawkins returning at left tackle after spending the entire week on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
When all was said and done, the Bills had put together the first no-punt performance ever against a Bill Belichick coached team. Belichick had also been 3-0 as Patriots head coach in games after Dec. 1 in which the AFC East lead was on the line.
It was the sort of statement that rang in all corners of the NFL world.
"Who goes into New England and wins games late in the year?" Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy – a man who knows a thing or two about big games in Foxborough – said on NBC. "Well, Josh Allen said, 'I can do it.' He was the man in New England."
Chris Simms, Dungy's co-analyst on NBC, called Allen the "greatest one-man show in the sport."
"You could have the perfect defense called, and you can't stop Josh Allen," Simms said. "His physical ability to buy time in the pocket and then of course these special throws…Fourth-and-one, third-and-15, get the ball in Josh Allen's hands. He's hard to stop."
Colin Cowherd took to social media to secure his seat on the wagon.
"This is why I keep falling in love with the Buffalo Bills," he said. "Josh Allen is a spectacular, once-in-a-franchise talent, with all due respect to Jim Kelly. Six-six, huge arm, their best running back. He's just a complete playmaker."
So, no - Josh Allen is not a Pro Bowl quarterback. Not in 2021, not unless he is promoted from alternate.
On Sunday, he was something more.
See below for a recap of other social media posts regarding Buffalo's performance in Week 16.
