The NFL is full of data, analytics, and the smartest people in the league putting their collective brains together to find a way to gain an edge in a collision sport. Some things make sense and can be quantified, while others, such as the case of Josh Allen and his potential curse, do not.
There’s no denying that once you get into the playoffs and play good teams, winning at all costs will take a toll on you. However, from the numbers and the win-loss records, it looks as if playing Allen and the Buffalo Bills feels almost insurmountable the following week.
What Is the Josh Allen Curse — and Is It Real?
Some people may believe in coincidences, but the facts remain when it comes to a potential “Josh Allen curse.”
The curse states that any team that has played and beaten Allen in the playoffs has lost the following week after doing so. This trend is concerning for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs after doing so just a week ago.
No team has won their next playoff game after beating Josh Allen…
Ravens ML 🔒?
(h/t @justinbtw_) pic.twitter.com/iOpt0s0JWj
— br_betting (@br_betting) January 23, 2024
This curse goes back to 2019 when the Houston Texans beat Allen and the Bills in the Wild Card round, then went on to lose in the Divisional Round a week later to Mahomes and the Chiefs.
2020 was more of the same as the Chiefs were now the recipient of this growing phenomenon after beating the Bills in the AFC Championship Game before ultimately losing to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
Twice is weird, but it doesn’t necessarily mean we have concrete evidence of anything. However, a third year in a row may raise an eyebrow or two.
After losing in the Super Bowl the year prior, the Chiefs found out the hard way once again. They beat Allen in the Divisional Round in 2021, before losing in overtime to the Cincinnati Bengals the next week.
The most recent case of the Josh Allen curse came last year, as the Bengals that went on to the Super Bowl the year prior as a beneficiary of the untimely curse, suffered a similar fate as the teams before them. Burrow and the Bengals beat the Bills in the Divisional Round before being beaten by the eventual Super Bowl-winning Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
MORE: Bills WR Gabe Davis Goes Viral After Yelling at Fans After Loss to Chiefs
Yes, this could all be purely coincidental and a fun exercise at its core to think about. But with four years of factual data to back it up, no one in Kansas City should be underestimating the power of the Josh Allen curse as they head into Baltimore to take on the Ravens this weekend.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!