The Buffalo Bills have one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, Josh Allen. The former NFL MVP has taken the league by storm over the last several years. Even as the playoff failures pile up, belief in Allen among fans and in Buffalo itself seems never to waver.
The respect Allen has garnered does not stop at fans or those in the Bills organization. He is routinely mentioned by multiple top media outlets as one of the best in the league. On Thursday, this continued when ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky ranked him the best among NFL QBs in terms of arm talent, second-reaction ability, and decision-making.
Of course, these sorts of rankings are entirely subjective. As such, they are sure to draw a lot of attention and spark debate. This is exactly what happened, as another NFL analyst used their platform to challenge Orlovsky’s ranking.
NFL Analyst Hits Back at Dan Orlovsky’s Josh Allen RankingDuring a segment on “First Things First” on FOX Sports on Thursday, Nick Wright appeared to take issue with Orlovsky naming Allen as the quarterback with the best decision-making in the NFL.
“It’s not only that I don’t think he’s the best decision-maker in football; I think it might be his only weakness as a player,” Wright said about Allen. “I think his only weakness as a quarterback is decision-making, and Dan-O’s telling us, ‘Actually, contrary, my friend, he’s the best in the world at it.'”
Wright continued, “It’s just not what I have experienced throughout his career. It’s a baffling, baffling ranking to me.”
There is certainly some merit to the idea that Allen struggles with decision-making. For instance, the Bills’ signal-caller threw 10 interceptions last season. He was one of 15 quarterbacks to throw at least 10 picks in 2025.
BE THE GM OF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM:PFN’s FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator
Interceptions certainly aren’t anything new to Allen, either. In fact, there are only two seasons in his career in which he threw fewer than 10 interceptions. In 2023, he nearly threw 20 picks in one season.
Orlovsky acknowledged this in his ranking. However, he pointed to the tape to explain why he believes Allen’s ranking as the best decision-making QB is justified.
“He threw 10 interceptions and lost three fumbles last season, but his tape shows an ability to read the defense and avoid getting baited into trouble,” Orlovsky said.
According to PFN’s QB Impact Metric, Allen finished last season with an impact score of 80.3, ranking ninth in the league. It was his worst season since 2019, when he posted an impact score of 74.2 and ranked 17th.
The overall commentary around Allen has become quite the discussion, and it will only rage on until the games become real once again. The Bills star has a chance to prove his critics wrong when Buffalo begins its 2026 campaign on September 13 against the Houston Texans.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
Leave a Comment