The new NFL campaign is well into the swing of things. Six gameweeks have now been completed, and the early contenders to lift the Lombardi trophy are starting to emerge. OddsChecker, which compares odds and provides free offers on the NFL, has made the Buffalo Bills the early favorites for glory at Super Bowl LVII, and it’s clear to see why. The New York-based franchise currently has a record of 5-1, and the recent hard-fought victory over Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs – a team that has reached at least the conference finals in each of the last four seasons – has underlined their credentials.
The Bills, however, do have the unwanted record of appearing in the most Super Bowls without managing to lift the trophy. They have lost on four separate occasions in the big game and, to make it worse, all four losses came back-to-back. They reached the championship game every year between 1991 and 1994 but fell short on every occasion. The Bills were beaten by the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins before two losses on the bounce to the Dallas Cowboys. Whether Sean McDermott’s side can put those ghosts to rest some two decades on remains to be seen.
Another contender that has emerged from the pack is the Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise is currently the only unbeaten team remaining in the NFL, with a record of 6-0. As a result, bookmakers have slashed the odds on the Eagles going all the way, and now make them one of the favorites for success in Arizona’s State Farm Stadium next February. They also stand a chance of becoming the first team since the New England Patriots back in 2008 of completing the perfect season.
The success of both the Bills and the Eagles has been a team effort, of that there is no doubt. But both sides have quality quarterbacks who have led their respective charges. With that being said, here are the standout quarterbacks from the opening weeks of the new NFL season.
Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
There hasn’t been a better quarterback in the NFL this season than Josh Allen. The former University of Wyoming standout has been steadily progressing as one of the league’s finest QBs for a number of years, but this season he has really taken things to a new level. Allen currently leads the way when it comes to the most passing yards in the league, with 1,980, over 200 yards more than his nearest challenger Matt Ryan. He is also tied with Patrick Mahomes for most touchdowns thrown, with both players managing 17 thus far.
Those are the eye-catching statistics, but his calmness under pressure has also helped his team no end. Allen has 257 rushing yards to his name this season, including an incredible rush against the Chiefs in which he managed to jump over an opposition defender and secure a first down. If the Bills do go on to Super Bowl glory this year, Allen will be the main reason why.
Tua Tagovailoa – Miami Dolphins
For years, Tua Tagovailoa was overlooked as a quarterback. Many fans felt like he was average at best, but this season, he was well on his way to proving them wrong before disaster struck. Many fans and experts have stated that the 24-year-old’s arm is just not strong enough to lead an NFL franchise to glory, and perhaps they were right. But what Tagovailoa lacks in strength, he more than makes up for in vision and technique.
The Dolphins have been the surprise package in the opening weeks of the new season. They managed to secure three victories on the spin to start off the new term giving them a record of 3-0. They even managed to beat the Super Bowl favorite Bills on home turf by a score of 21-19. And Tua was crucial to their success. He threw for over 1,000 yards during their first four fixtures, completing eight touchdowns in the process. But in the defeat away at the Cincinnati Bengals on week four, disaster struck. Tua was hit hard by a Bengals defender and reportedly lost consciousness. He was supposedly carrying a knock into that game in Ohio, with many speculating that he wouldn’t play. Bad went to awful when he was stretchered off in the second half.
Nothing quite shows off his influence more than this: in every game Tagovailoa has completed, the Dolphins have won. In the games that he hasn’t completed? They have lost.