Josh Allen is forging a path to another MVP campaign after two dominant games to open the 2026 NFL season. Allen began the season by throwing two touchdowns and rushing for two scores in a 36-31 win over the Houston Texans. The star quarterback delivered an impressive encore on Thursday night, leading the Buffalo Bills to a 41-31 victory over the Detroit Lions with three passing and two rushing scores.
ESPN Insights noted that Allen is just the third player in NFL history to account for nine touchdowns with zero turnovers in the season's first two games. The other two each landed MVP honors that season. Peyton Manning first did so in 2013 en route to setting single-season records for passing yards (5,477) and touchdowns (55).
Patrick Mahomes threw 10 of his 50 touchdowns in the first two games of 2018 and threw for 5,077 yards in his first year as a starter. Allen joined that elite company with another superb performance on Thursday. The 30-year-old has 582 passing yards, 92 rushing yards, and a 125.8 quarterback rating for the 2-0 Bills.
While Manning and Mahomes made magic through the air, Allen carved up the Texans and Lions with help from his legs. He's the first player since 1960 with at least three passing and three rushing touchdowns through the season's first two games. "Anytime the ball’s in his hands, good things happen," Bills head coach Joe Brady said after the game, per John Wawrow of the .
"And yeah, love that guy." Those two outings cement Allen as the early favorite to take home his second MVP in three years. Allen can continue his torrid start when the Bills face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3.
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