BUF Buffalo Bills · QB· #17

Josh Allen

Age
30
Height
6'5"
Weight
237 lbs
College
Wyoming; Reedley
Drafted
2018, No. 7 overall (BUF)
Experience
9th NFL season

54

Overall grade

14th of 40 quarterbacks

Above typical

about average; 50 is average

Grades updated Rechecked every few hours on game days

The read

Josh's best number is EPA per dropback: +0.17, 9th of 40 among quarterbacks.

Lately he is playing worse. EPA per dropback is −0.11 over the last 2 games (64 dropbacks), against +0.46 before that. The change points one way, but a few plays could still explain it.

Written from his numbers, not from film. 4 games are behind the season figures.

How he stacks up

Every graded stat at a glance, against all the quarterbacks in the league.

  • Accuracy over expected+5.5 pts8th of 38small sample
  • EPA per dropback+0.179th of 40
  • Bad throws13.2%18th of 38small sample
  • Sack rate7.0%25th of 40small sample
  • Success rate41%28th of 40small sample

Left is the worst at his job, right is the best, and the line down the middle is average. The bubble is his percentile: 90 means better than nine in ten qualifying quarterbacks. Faded bars are still small samples.

How he has progressed

Where he has ranked among quarterbacks after each week, and every game behind it.

WorstMiddleBestrecent12345Week 1: 93rd percentileWeek 2: 94th percentileWeek 3: 73rd percentileWeek 4: 73rd percentile73rd

Season rank slipped: 93rd to 73rd percentile since Wk 1.

The line is his season-to-date rank among players at his position after each week, from 100 (the best) to 0 (the worst). It rises when he passes other players, not when he has one big game. Early weeks are noisier because fewer plays are behind them. The shaded weeks are the recent stretch.

EPA per dropback game by game
WeekOpponentThat gamedropbacksSeason rank after
1vs HOU+0.453293rd pct
2vs DET+0.463394th pct
3vs LAC−0.342973rd pct
4vs NE+0.083573rd pct

One game is a small sample: a single stat over 32 dropbacks can swing on a handful of plays. Shaded rows are the recent stretch.

The numbers, in context

Each one against every quarterback with at least 40 dropbacks. Right on the strip is better.

EPA per dropback

Well above typical

+0.17

9th of 40 quarterbacks · top 23%

Expected points added: how many points the play added to (or took from) the offense's scoring chances, given the down, the distance and the field position. Sacks, scrambles and throwaways all count, so it is everything he does when he drops back, not just the completions.

The box score: Passing yards and touchdowns ignore down, distance and sacks, so a 6-yard checkdown on 3rd-and-12 looks like a good play.

Does it show up in winning? Across 151 games league-wide, teams won 84% of the time when their quarterback was in the best third on EPA per dropback, and 28% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: −0.11 (64) vs +0.46 before−18.9grade points downA clear change

Sample still growing · 129 dropbacks · true level likely −0.05 to +0.40

Success rate

Below typical

41%

28th of 40 quarterbacks · bottom 33%

How often a dropback gains enough to keep the offense on schedule: about 40% of the yards needed on first down, 60% on second, all of them on third and fourth.

The box score: Yards per attempt cannot tell a gain that helped from one that did not.

Does it show up in winning? Across 151 games league-wide, teams won 74% of the time when their quarterback was in the best third on success rate, and 36% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: 34% (64) vs 48% before−14.4grade points downA clear change

Small sample: could move a lot · 129 dropbacks · true level likely 34% to 48%

Accuracy over expected

Well above typical

+5.5 pts

8th of 38 quarterbacks · top 22%

His completion rate compared with what each throw was expected to be, given depth, pressure and where the receiver was. +3 means he completes 3 more of every 100 throws than an average passer would on the same throws.

The box score: Completion percentage rewards the quarterback who throws short and punishes the one who throws deep.

Does it show up in winning? Across 145 games league-wide, teams won 70% of the time when their quarterback was in the best third on accuracy over expected, and 31% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: +4.1 pts (55) vs +6.9 pts before−2.3grade points downWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 111 throws · true level likely −1.3 pts to +12.4 pts

Bad throws

Typical

13.2%lower is better

18th of 38 quarterbacks · top 48%

The share of his attempts that Pro Football Reference's charters called a bad throw: off target, not just incomplete. Fewer is better.

The box score: An incompletion also blames him for a drop or a throwaway.

Does it show up in winning? Across 124 games league-wide, teams won 66% of the time when their quarterback was in the best third on bad throws, and 39% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: 14.1% (64) vs 12.3% beforeevenWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 129 attempts · true level likely 8.2% to 18.2%

Sack rate

Below typical

7.0%lower is better

25th of 40 quarterbacks · bottom 40%

Sacks as a share of his dropbacks. It is the quarterback and the line together. Fewer is better.

The box score: A sack total depends on how often he drops back.

Does it show up in winning? Across 151 games league-wide, teams won 55% of the time when their quarterback was in the best third on sack rate, and 37% when he was in the worst third.

Last 2 games: 7.8% (64) vs 6.2% before−2.8grade points downWithin the noise

Small sample: could move a lot · 129 dropbacks · true level likely 3.1% to 10.8%

How he plays

Tendencies: how his game differs from the quarterbacks around him. These are not better or worse, only different, and often say as much about the offense or defense he plays in as about him.

Average depth of throw

Style

9.8 yds

Throws it deep, and more so than almost any of the quarterbacks. A typical one is 8.0 yds.

How far past the line of scrimmage the ball travels, on average. It is a style, not a skill.

Sample still growing · 118 throws

Deep throws

Style

18%

Throws deep often, and more so than almost any of the quarterbacks. A typical one is 11%.

The share of his throws that travel 20 or more yards in the air.

Small sample: could move a lot · 118 throws

Play-action dropbacks

Style

29%

Leans on play-action, more than most quarterbacks. A typical one is 23%.

How often a dropback starts with a fake handoff.

Sample still growing · 129 dropbacks

Blitzed

Style

30%

Right around the middle of quarterbacks: a typical one is 32%.

How often defenses send an extra rusher at him.

Sample still growing · 129 dropbacks

Leaves the pocket

Style

21%

Plays outside the pocket, more than most quarterbacks. A typical one is 18%.

How often he is outside the pocket when he throws or is sacked.

Sample still growing · 129 dropbacks

Playing time

He has played in 4 of his team's 4 games with snap counts, on the field for about 100% of the team's offensive plays when he plays.

Each column is a game: the share of his team's offensive snaps he played. 80% means about 8 of every 10 plays. “Out” means he did not play; a question mark means snap counts are not posted yet. Shaded games are the recent stretch.

Game by game

Every game this season: how it ended for his team, how much he played, his box score, and the advanced numbers from that one game. One game is a small sample, so read the right-hand columns as a snapshot, not his level.

Josh Allen game by game
GameResultSnapsAttCmpYdsTDIntSackedEPA/dropbackSuccessCPOEBad throws
Wk 1 vs HOUW 36–31100%3220323202+0.4544%+8.1 pts9.4%
Wk 2 vs DETW 41–31100%3320243302+0.4652%+5.7 pts15.2%
Wk 3 vs LACW 24–16100%2915145024−0.3434%−3.3 pts24.1%
Wk 4 vs NEL 26–29100%3523249111+0.0834%+10.3 pts5.7%

The box score

The traditional totals, with where each ranks among quarterbacks. A total rewards volume, which is why the advanced numbers above matter.

Josh Allen box score totals
StatTotalRank
Pass attempts12925th of 40
Completions7823rd of 40
Passing yards96015th of 40
Passing touchdowns617th of 40
Interceptions thrown310th of 40
Times sacked918th of 40

Players with a similar profile

The quarterbacks whose grades are closest to his across the same stats. Similar means similar numbers, not the same style of play.

Ranks are among players at the same job who have enough plays to be graded. Grades and rankings come from play-by-play, charting and snap-count data, so they cannot see blocking, route running or assignments. See how the grades work.

← All players

Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.