Like most people, I jump from Yankees group to Yankees group on Facebook.  Sometimes, someone says something, though, and you stop and ask yourself whether they are on to something.  Well, as a Bills fan, when I heard someone say Aaron Judge is Josh Allen, it caught my attention.  So, I thought I would do a deeper dive and see if they really are basically the same player, just in a different sport.

They are both considered to be potentially the best players in the sport

We all know the Captain’s resume.  Home run recordholder (I don’t include those who cheated) and three-time MVP.  We can argue about whether he is the best all-around baseball player, but he is clearly the best hitter in the game.  Josh Allen is that guy in the NFL.  An MVP award winner and perennially an MVP candidate.  He has rewritten the record book in terms of combined passing and rushing touchdowns, and he is frequently referred to as Superman.

They both started without much fanfare

It’s hard to remember, but when Aaron Judge first came up in the major leagues, expectations were muted.   At 24, he was a little old for a heralded rookie, and his slash line in limited at-bats wasn’t good (.179/.263/.345).  Josh Allen was a high draft pick in the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft, but he was considered a raw product.  His first year wasn’t very good as he threw for only 10 TDs to go along with 12 INTs.  The Bills missed the playoffs that year (they have not since).

Neither has won a championship

Here is the big one, and why many people tie the two together.   Both the Yankees and the Bills are perennial title contenders.  The Bills have won a playoff game in six straight seasons, while the Yankees have made the playoffs in all but one of Judge’s seasons (2023).  While Judge has made it to the World Series and Allen has not, they both are known for not bringing home a championship.  

… But that is not entirely their fault

Well, especially Josh Allen.  It’s not his fault; the defense failed him in the infamous “13-second” game.  Yes, in this past season, he didn’t play well against the Broncos, but it was still the defense that failed him.  When you have a career QBR of 101.5 in the postseason, you aren’t the problem.  Judge’s case is a little more complicated.  He has not been his career self in the postseason (.294/.413/.615).  Nevertheless, he is a career above-average hitter in the postseason with a slash line of 236/346/476.  That is not MVP worthy, but that is the line of an above-average hitter.  

You can definitely see why the two are lumped together.  When you are the team leader and you don’t win a title, the blame falls on the team leader.  And it’s not unreasonable, as while both players have played above average in the postseason, they still haven’t done as well as they have in the regular season.  Perhaps, more importantly, they have failed to come up big in those moments that make a legend.   And as they will be 34 and 30 before the start of their next seasons, the championship window is not exactly infinite.  Both could still win a championship, but to do that, they will both have to have their signature moment and truly get the monkey off their collective backs.