Before this week's game between the Patriots and Bills, New England head coach Bill Belichick gave high praise to Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen.
Belichick even went so far as to compare Allen to a young Tom Brady after their third season in the NFL while speaking to reporters during his weekly press conference.
“It's kind of like Brady,” Belichick said. “When Brady got there at a certain point in '03, that's pretty much what he was for the rest of his career. That wasn't true in '02, wasn't true in '01, and certainly wasn't true in 2000.”
“But when he got there midway through the season of the '03 season, and then into the play-offs and at a certain point from there, his level of performance, play and consistency was at the top of the league.”
Allen has been on his way to stardom during his six seasons as a pro and recently set an NFL record after securing his fourth straight 40-touchdown season during a 24-22 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bill Belichick compared Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen to Brady after their third year
Allen recently set an NFL record with four consecutive seasons totaling 40 or more touchdowns
Allen and the Bills face the Patriots this weekend as the regular season comes to a close
So far this season, Allen has thrown for 3,778 yards, 27 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
He also rushed for 413 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the Bills to a 9-6 record.
However, the comparison is somewhat curious due to several factors, one of the most notable being the differences in how each QB started his NFL journey.
Allen was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in 2018 before starting 11 games as a rookie, while Brady wasn't picked until the sixth round and didn't take the field until Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious injury.
But along with Belichick, Brady won six of his seven Super Bowl titles in a formidable partnership.
The two QBs also play the game very differently, as Allen is much more of a runner and risk taker with the ball, while Brady was essentially a statue in the pocket who took a much safer approach to throwing the ball.
Buffalo and New England have had many different seasons this year leading up to their matchup this week.
Unlike the Bills, who are currently poised to make the playoffs as a wild-card seed barring a collapse in the latter part of the regular season, the Patriots are currently 4-11 and have been weeks since eliminated from postseason contention.