You know the debate—Mahomes or Allen? Both guys have their own thing going. Now imagine this: you’re standing in the middle of an NFL showdown, watching two of the best QBs go head-to-head. Mahomes, with his Houdini-like escape moves and rocket arm, is practically the NFL’s magician. But then there’s Allen, the guy who’s a threat in the air and on the ground, like a quarterback and a linebacker combined. In fact, before the AFC Championship game, Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, acknowledged Allen’s prowess, saying, “he sees everything” and said he was “just like Patrick Mahomes.”
They’re both elite, no doubt—but there’s something else that got people talking lately about Allen. And with people, we mean Spagnuolo. Being a DC, Steve surely knows a thing or two about big and tough players who are always ready to bulldoze the opposition’s O-line. Take Chris Jones, for instance. The Chiefs’ DT stands at 6’6” and weighs over 300 pounds. But here’s the kicker—despite being a DC, Spagnuolo is mesmerized by Josh Allen’s build. Yeah, you read that right. Let’s cut to the chase.
Spagnuolo stopped by Questions for Cancer’s YouTube channel on April 11, and while he covered a bunch of stuff, it was his thoughts on Allen’s physique were interesting.
“What’s scary about Josh Allen is how big he is. I mean, he’s as big a man as there is out there. I mean, he’s bigger than some of the D-linemen,” he explained. Is he? Well, if we believe the NFL Scouting Combine’s stats, the average height for a defensive lineman ranges between 6’3” and 6’5”. Allen’s height? He’s freaking 6’5”. So when Spagnuolo says that Allen is bigger than some of the D-linemen, he’s not just talking the talk.
“You know, when he played at Wyoming, I remember I wasn’t evaluating quarterbacks,” he continued, “I was evaluating defensive players. But in some crossover games, I remember watching him at Wyoming, and the weather never bothered him.” That’s something Allen could brag about during his collegiate career. If there’s one thing that Wyoming is known for, it’s the extreme weather conditions—strong winds, snow, and cold temperatures.
And in those tough conditions, Allen had 3,203 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions in his junior season at Wyoming. While his weight isn’t over 300 pounds like any other defensive player, let’s be real—standing at 6’5” and weighing nearly 250 pounds, the 28-year-old QB is enough to create havoc for the opposition’s defenders.
But it’s not just his physique that makes Josh Allen a great QB. Oh no. It’s how he takes advantage of his muscular build on the gridiron. He was not only the Bills’ best player in the previous season, but was named the league’s MVP in February. He became the first player in 21 seasons to win MVP without being selected first-team All-Pro. He passed for more than 3,700 yards and ran for another 531 on the ground, while accounting for 40 total touchdowns.
If you ask the Chiefs’ DC, “He (Allen) knew when to get down and not get hurt. He knew when to run it and when it was a key situation, and he’s still doing it now.” Well, Allen was surely known as a dual-threat in his college days, and the interesting part is that he’s continuing it in the NFL as well.
Across seven seasons in his NFL career, he has rushed for over 4K yards and made it 65 times to the end zone. Talk about proving dual-threat abilities constantly, not just in college but in the NFL as well. All in all, it’s safe to say that Josh Allen is like a linebacker in a QB’s body—big, tough, and ready to bulldoze through defenders. The Bills Mafia knows it. The oppositions know it. And Steve Spagnuolo also knows it.
Speaking before the AFC Championship game, Spagnuolo said, “I watched him this morning, a defensive play – I forget who they were playing; it looked like they put their leg out to trip the running back. He immediately was turning to the official, he saw everything. He’s just like Patrick (Mahomes). Their vision is just uncanny. I think he can sense and feel when there is an opening there, and that’s what gets really challenging.”
Spagnuolo and the Chiefs were able to shut the door on Allen’s progress in the AFC title clash as they won 32-29. But given Allen’s abilities and what he can offer, the rest of the NFL has to take notice. With Sean McDermott at the helm, Spagnuolo expects the Bills to challenge at the top end again next season.
Steve Spagnuolo is also a good friend of Josh Allen’s head coach
Picture this: it’s 2017, Sean McDermott steps in as the Bills’ head coach, and everyone’s just known him as a former DC. A few months later, the same guy ended the Bills’ playoff drought when he led the team to their first postseason after 1999. Fast forward to now, and McDermott’s turned the Bills from a laughingstock to a legit playoff contender. It’s like he came in, hit the reset button, and just built a squad that’s tougher than a buffalo on a cold day.
And no doubt the Chiefs’ DC, Steve Spagnuolo, knows it very well. While chatting on the Questions for Cancer, Steve talked about the Chiefs vs. Bills rivalry, where he acknowledged Sean McDermott as the Bills’ ability as head coach. “Sean McDermott and I are good friends. He’s the head coach of Buffalo,” he said. And while discussing Josh Allen’s strength, the DC also noted that “Sean (McDermott) does a great job up there with that team, and they’re going to be in the thick of it every year.”
With McDermott’s steady coaching, the Bills aren’t just making noise—they’re putting the whole AFC on notice. The HC has led Buffalo to seven playoff appearances, five consecutive division titles, and two conference championship game appearances. And while talking about the teams’ rivalry, the DC also talked about similarities between Allen and Mahomes.
Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott reacts against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half for the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
“I mean the first similarity that comes out is these guys (Allen and Mahomes) are built as elite competitors,” Spagnuolo noted. “I know how highly competitive Josh is. And I see it firsthand when we go against him all the time. So to me, that’s the thing that sticks out. And when you have a guy in that spot that they’re both very unselfish guys, too.” All in all, the Chiefs and the Bills rivalry is marked as one of the toughest rivalries in the NFL, no doubt.
Whether we’re talking about the Bills having the upper hand in the regular season or the Chiefs just owning Josh Allen and the crew in the playoffs, one thing’s crystal clear: the Chiefs’ coach knows exactly how Sean McDermott turned that squad into a powerhouse. And honestly, both QBs are doing their thing for their teams—no question about it.
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