Josh Allen and Justin Herbert are two young quarterbacks who have been must-watch television this season. On Sunday, when the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Chargers meet for the second time in three years, the two signal-callers will make history.
According to NFL Media research, when Allen and Herbert take the field at Bills Stadium it will be just the third matchup in the Super Bowl era between two quarterbacks who are 24 or younger, have a passer rating of 100 or more that season, and had a minimum of eight starts.
It will also be the first time in the Super Bowl era that such a matchup has taken place in Week 12 or later.
#RoundingUpTheHerd: Josh Allen & Justin Herbert will mark the first time in the Super Bowl era that two 24 or younger QBs will enter a Week 12 or later match-up with a 100+ passer rating (min. 8 starts).
Despite their age, Allen (24) and Herbert (22) have been two of the top quarterbacks in the league this season.
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Josh Allen is Having An MVP Type of Season
Allen is having the best season of his career. He is eighth in the league in passing yards (2,871) and ninth in touchdown passes (21). He is also ninth in completion percentage (68.4) and has completed the ninth most passes (249).
Through his first two years in the NFL, Allen was going through a learning process. He relied on his natural abilities – a strong arm with mobility – as a rookie and improved his decision-making ability last season, while still relying on his instincts. But the Bills, and the rest of the league, have seen a different quarterback this season.
During the first four games of the season, Allen threw for 1,326 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Bills scored 30.75 points per game in route to an undefeated start. But as the season has carried on, defenses have started to throw different looks at the young quarterback.
Teams started playing a soft zone which took away the deep ball and forced Allen to have to make better decisions. It led to two straight losses against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans but Allen learned and rebounded.
The Bills won three straight games, threw for over 300 yards in two of them, and only threw one interception while completing 72.7% of his passes. He also had a historic start against the Seattle Seahawks in which he threw for 415-yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.6% of his passes.
He threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions against the Arizona Cardinals before the Bills went into their bye week.
Justin Herbert Could Be Offensive Rookie of the Year
2020 No. 1 overall draft pick Joe Burrow went down with an unfortunate knee injury last week and Herbert has slowly risen to the top of the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier seemed to agree in a video conference call earlier this week.
“He was drafted pretty high for a reason and he’s having a ton of success,” Frazier said. “He’s arguably the rookie of the year.”
In nine starts this season the Chargers are 2-7 but Herbert has thrown for 2,699 yards, 22 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He’s completed 68% of his passes while averaging just under 300 yards per game.
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Josh Allen and Justin Herbert Will Make History on Sunday