Josh Allen the NFL’s most betrayed QB? Not exactly what Sean McDermott had in mind
The defense that once supported Allen through his growing pains has become a heavy burden for him to carry.
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Josh Allen powered the Bills past the Bucs despite his defense's struggles on Sunday. Timothy T Ludwig / Getty Images
2. Josh Allen
Allen tops the 2025 Betrayal Index after carrying Buffalo to a 44-32 victory over the Buccaneers. He ranks first among 30 qualifying quarterbacks in EPA per start (9.4). But the support provided by his defense and special teams (-2.9 EPA per start) is only 25th-best in relation to how the corresponding units have produced for the other 29 QBs with at least six starts this season.The gap between those disparate rankings ties Allen with Dallas’ Dak Prescott as the most betrayed QB in the league this season. Both are generally producing at high levels but having a harder time winning for reasons beyond their direct control.
This wasn't the plan in Buffalo.
Defensive-minded head coaches generally want to win with a strong run game and defense, limiting exposure to turnovers.
The Bills under coach Sean McDermott have trended toward that offensive vision since McDermott replaced Ken Dorsey with Joe Brady as coordinator midway through 2023. They have reduced the team's pass rate from 59 percent under Dorsey to 51 percent under Brady. The turnover rate has fallen from 16 percent of drives to 7.9 percent.
It's the defensive component that has fallen off a cliff (the special teams have also struggled, but that has gone on longer). A defense that ranked seventh in EPA per play two seasons ago fell to 14th last season and 22nd through Week 11 this season.
The trend jumps off the chart below and will make it harder for the Bills to break through in the playoffs.
On the bright side for the Bills, Kansas City and Baltimore are both 5-5, and the Buffalo defense, though flawed, still owns the second-best performance of the season by any team against Kansas City on an EPA per-play basis.
