There are some sports records you’d rather not own. Like longest losing streak. Or most times hit by a pitch. Here’s another. Most NFL playoff game starts by a quarterback without making it to the Super Bowl. That record is held by Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, who last Sunday lost in his 13th playoff start to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship. This is now the fourth time Allen and the Bills have lost in the playoffs to Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has played 20 playoff games and is now heading to his fifth Super Bowl.
It's difficult to talk about Josh Allen and the Bills without also talking about Mahomes and the Chiefs. That’s primarily because if not for Mahomes, Allen would likely have a far different championship trajectory. Currently Allen is 7-6 in the playoffs. Four of those losses came to the Chiefs, including two in the AFC Championship game. Sunday’s game, like many before, was a one possession game that could have easily gone the other way. So if not for Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen could be a multiple Super Bowl Champ at this point. Not that Buffalo fans don’t already know a thing or two about almost winning a Super Bowl. And to put a point on it, it’s not that Josh Allen can’t beat the Chiefs – he’s 4-1 in the regular season. It’s just that he can’t seem to do it when it matters most.
It's not entirely unusual for an athlete’s success to be wildly influenced by a singular competitor or a pack of stars, folks you just can’t get by – either because they’re uniquely talented or because they simply have your number. Like right now, the world number two men’s tennis player Alexander Zverev has played in three major finals – and lost all three, most recently to Jannik Sinner. Daniil Medvedev has only won a single major final of the four he’s played in, often falling to Novak Djokovic in or before that round. The Houston Oilers of the late 70’s were a perennial last stepping stone for the Pittsburgh Steelers on the way to the Super Bowl. And ask any Knicks fan of how Patrick Ewing’s life might have been different if not for Michael Jordan. In sports, there’s really two sides of the equation – how you perform, and how your opponent does. And unfortunately, you can’t control the other side of the court or field or net. And that is perhaps the most frustrating part of sports in the first place. Because no matter how much you’re told to focus on what you can control, that’s just not always enough.
Of course, you don’t have to win championships – or even make championships – to have an outstanding career. Charles Barkley never won a title. Dan Marino didn’t either. Both of them did at least play for one. Same goes for Allen Iverson. Baseball is filled with greats that never got to the Series, especially given the emergence of dynasties that largely horded championship trophies. But for those who are keeping score – and who in sports isn’t – there is something defining about reaching the mountaintop, fair or not.
Which brings us back to Josh Allen, who has clearly been one of the league’s best quarterbacks playing for one of its top teams for several years, but also happens to be at a moment when in the same conference is perhaps the greatest quarterback of all time playing on an equally outstanding team. And while Josh Allen is still relatively young at 28, Mahomes is only 29. And there’s plenty of fresh blood leading teams that are similarly hungry to win. You never know when the window closes, but it doesn’t stay open forever. It’s also why measures like number of titles are always contextual, something fans of boxer Mike Tyson have to defend whenever making a case for his place in history. In other words, while Josh Allen has gotten really close, that doesn’t mean it will eventually happen.
Perhaps the good news lies in historical context. Peyton Manning played in 12 playoff games before finally making it to the Super Bowl. And he ended up winning two. And while John Elway had already made two Super Bowls, he didn’t win one until his 19th playoff game. So there is still hope. And if nothing else, Josh Allen does at least have one record, one he most certainly doesn’t want.
Keith Strudler is the Dean of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler.
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