Josh Allen Tops ESPN QB Rankings as Bills Chase Title Sport By lines July 20, 2026 Josh Allen just claimed the sport’s most coveted individual label. NFL executives, coaches and scouts voted Josh Allen the league’s No. 1 quarterback in ESPN’s 2026 poll. Buffalo opens training camp carrying Super Bowl expectations. Allen Edges Mahomes at the Top of the League Allen finished first with an average ballot ranking of 2.10 across voters. The 2026 result marked the first time Allen topped the ESPN list, overtaking Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes placed second, and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ranked third. Mahomes drew more first-place votes at 41.5 percent. Allen countered with 34.1 percent of first-place nods and steadier marks down every ballot. Drake Maye climbed to No. 8, and Caleb Williams took the final top-10 spot. The ranking rewards Allen’s 2024 NFL MVP season, the first MVP of Allen’s career. Allen and Patrick Mahomes both enter 2026 at age 30, squarely in their primes. Voters described Allen as the most singularly unstoppable player at the position. That endorsement pushed Allen past Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl champion. Allen has anchored Buffalo as the full-time starter since the 2019 season. Buffalo’s Super Bowl history carries real weight here. The Bills have never won a Super Bowl across the franchise’s existence. Buffalo last reached the title game after the 1993 season, then lost four straight finals. Allen has led Buffalo to six straight playoff appearances since 2019 without a Super Bowl trip. Buffalo lost the AFC Championship to Kansas City after the 2024 season. Oddsmakers see the breakthrough coming for Allen. Multiple sportsbooks list Allen as the 2026 MVP favorite near +600. Lamar Jackson sits just behind Allen around +700, with Drake Maye near +900. Buffalo also ranks among the Super Bowl co-favorites, grouped with the Baltimore Ravens just behind the Rams. Allen opened as the MVP betting favorite over the entire field. The AFC will not clear a path for Allen. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have reached the past several AFC title games. Kansas City has ended Buffalo’s season four times since the 2020 playoffs. Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens sit level with Buffalo in Super Bowl futures. Buffalo’s margin for error looks thin again. The Bills must still climb past Mahomes and the AFC field for a first title. Allen enters camp as the No. 1 quarterback and the MVP betting favorite. A championship is now the only trophy missing from Allen’s resume. Buffalo has not reached a Super Bowl during Allen’s tenure. Related Sports Coverage NFL Stars Race the Clock as Training Camps Open ESPN’s FPI Makes the Rams 2026 Super Bowl Favorites Stefon Diggs Talks Big While Still a Free Agent Sources: ESPN’s 2026 quarterback rankings, a poll of league executives, coaches and scouts; the Buffalo Bills official site; and reported sportsbook MVP and Super Bowl futures via Yahoo Sports and BetMGM.
