National Football League

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen are competing to be the QB of their generation

Updated Oct. 14, 2022 10:50 a.m. ET

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By Henry McKenna
FOX Sports AFC East Writer

We're at the beginning of something special between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. It feels like history is repeating itself.

Back in the early 2000s, we had no way of knowing what would evolve between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. But those two quarterbacks dueled for almost 20 years with 17 different matchups. Their matchups were must-see TV. No matter how many times they said that they weren't playing against each other — because quarterbacks weren't on the field at the same time — they were absolutely playing against each other.

After a few years of battles — and with Brady winning Super Bowls and Manning winning MVPs — we knew exactly how great these quarterbacks were and how important their matchups had grown in the bigger picture of their careers. In some ways, each would live in the shadow of the other. The knock on Manning's career was that he couldn't win a Super Bowl. The knock on Brady's career — for a while — was that his statistics paled in comparison to Manning. As they proved those narratives false, they were able to simultaneously build their greatness by beating the other.

Is Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen the NFL's new Brady-Manning rivalry?

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So why am I babbling about Manning and Brady in a column that was supposed to be about Allen and Mahomes ahead of this epic matchup in Week 6 between the Buffalo Bills (4-1) and the Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)? Well, you surely see the connection by now. Allen and Mahomes appear to be the next set of great quarterbacks in the NFL. Just like Brady and Manning, Allen and Mahomes have a chance to create a fierce rivalry — one that builds their legacy.

Allen fielded a question about the idea that this is no longer just another NFL matchup.

This is: Allen vs. Mahomes. Chapter 5.

"That kind of dawned upon me today. It's such a weird experience and I don't really take steps back and look at it that often. But to know as a kid — I remember watching Peyton and Tom and then Tom and Aaron [Rodgers] and to know that people regard me in that type of situation. It's surreal," he said during an appearance on Kyle Brandt's Basement.

The most recent round of Mahomes vs. Allen was an epic. The Chiefs won in overtime, 42-36, in the divisional round of the playoffs. Allen was 27-of-37 for 329 yards and four touchdowns. Mahomes was 33 of 44 for 378 yards and three touchdowns. Practically zero mistakes from either of them. Six lead changes. Four of them in the final two minutes and overtime.

What decided that game?

Honestly, a coin toss. Mahomes got the ball in overtime and scored a touchdown. Allen couldn't answer, but you know what the Bills quarterback would've done the same thing, had the Bills won the coin toss. Even Allen indicated he thought the coin toss was what doomed Buffalo.

During an appearance on the Bussin' With The Boys podcast, Allen was asked what hurt more, the loss itself of the coin toss.

"The coin toss," he said. 

He added: "People still come up to me and talk about it. That's the game people talk about. To be a part of it is great, but to be on the losing end of it is not so great. It doesn't make me feel any better when someone comes up and says, 'That was the greatest game I've ever seen.' It's like, we lost."

It was one of the greatest games in recent memory because it featured two of the greatest quarterbacks of this new era. They both have a strong case as the No. 1 quarterback in the NFL at this exact moment. And that's the beauty of this matchup. It doesn't settle the matter. It's just another chapter as they both try to jockey for the title of the Best of the Generation, like Brady did with Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and others.

In their early-career matchups, Mahomes has a strong lead over Allen. (Don't count out Lamar Jackson, either.) The Chiefs and Mahomes are 3-1 against Allen's Bills. Mahomes is the better passer, though Allen's unique ability to run the football closes that gap. Allen has none of the accolades Mahomes has — not yet, at least. Mahomes has one Super Bowl win (and MVP), another Super Bowl appearance and one NFL MVP award. 

"As a football fan myself, you know, when I'm watching games, I love watching him play," Allen said of Mahomes this week. "He's a fantastic player; he can do everything you want. His teammates love him, and I know he's got a good grasp on the locker room over there and how we, how he carries himself the things that he does off the field for his charity. He's a special football player and a special guy."

Like Brady, Mahomes is the driving force who manufactures wins — no matter the circumstances. The team traded away Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs don't have a true WR1. It hasn't mattered. He's first in passing touchdowns (15) and fifth in passing yards (1,398). He has yet to see a defense as good as the Bills, who are tied for first in points allowed (12.2) and second in yards allowed (260.4).

And that defense isn't the only reason that you get the sense that Buffalo and Allen are poised to begin striking back. The Chiefs were at their peak when Allen entered the league. Now Kansas City isn't quite as talented as Buffalo. Allen has an incredible cast of targets: Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Dawson Knox, Isaiah McKenzie, Khalili Skakur, Devin Singletary and James Cook. Allen can get the most out of them.

"Josh is a great guy. He's a great quarterback — physically talented, he can throw, can run, he can really do it all. But he's a great dude, too," Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference. "And so, obviously when we're on the football field, we are competing against each other and we want to beat each other's teams, but I have a ton of respect for him, the player and person that he is."

Game recognizes game.

There's so much to love and respect about these two quarterbacks. It's no wonder that they have so much love and respect for each other. But that won't take any edge off this matchup. They're fighting for playoff seeding, even in Week 6. They're fighting for the NFL MVP. They're fighting for legacy. 

They're fighting to be the quarterback who defines their generation.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @McKennAnalysis.

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Henry McKenna