Many NFL enthusiasts have drawn comparisons between Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and retired Carolina Panthers MVP signal-caller Cam Newton, and Newton himself acknowledges the parallels. While Newton concedes that Allen may excel in numerous aspects of his game, there is one particular area where Newton asserts his advantage without hesitation.
Reflecting on their early encounters, Newton recounted a preseason game against Allen’s Bills during the latter’s rookie year. Observing Allen’s impressive arm strength as he scrambled and threw a pass out of bounds, Newton marveled at the distance covered by the throw, estimating it to be around 80 yards. Newton candidly admitted that his own arm didn’t possess such power.
When asked about their comparative accuracy, Newton acknowledged Allen’s superiority in that regard, along with other facets of quarterbacking skills. However, Newton firmly asserted his edge in speed, highlighting that despite Allen’s prowess in various areas, including arm strength and accuracy, he believes he remains the faster runner between them.
Newton eventually amended his stance to concede the arm talent advantage entirely to Allen while maintaining his claim to superior running ability. He clarified that while Allen might excel in strength and skill as a passer, he considers Lamar Jackson the benchmark for the most skillful runner.
The comparisons between Allen and Newton largely stem from their physical dimensions and playing styles. Allen stands at 6-foot-5 and weighs 237 pounds, though he has mentioned preferring a mid-240s weight during the season. Newton, on the other hand, played at a similar stature, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 245 pounds during his career.
In essence, while Allen and Newton share physical similarities and have demonstrated exceptional talents on the field, their individual strengths and playing styles set them apart, fueling ongoing discussions among fans and analysts alike.
As far as being faster, Newton is objectively correct, at least based on their NFL Scouting Combine 40-yard dash times. In 2011, Newton ran a 4.6-second 40. Seven years later, Allen ran a 4.75.
And while neither of them hit the bench press to determine who has more upper body strength, Newton bested Allen in all the quickness, lateral movement, and explosion drills at the combine. The Auburn QB had better vertical jump (35 inches to 33.5 inches), broad jump (10 feet 6 inches to 9 feet 11 inches), and 20-yard shuttle (4.18 seconds to 4.4 seconds) results than his younger Wyoming counterpart.
The only drill Allen outshined Newton in was the 3-cone drill (6.9 seconds for Allen to Newton’s 6.92 seconds), which measures footspeed and change of direction.
As far as throwing the ball, we will have to take Newton at his word that he saw Allen throw it 80 yards on the run and the 2011 No. 1 overall pick knows he couldn’t do that.
Moving on to accuracy and all the rest of the things that go along with being an NFL quarterback, it’s best to look at the stats.
Six seasons into his career with the Bills, Allen’s passing stat line is as follows:
- 63-30 as a starter, 63.2% completion rate, 22,703 passing yards, 167 touchdowns, 78 interceptions, 175 sacks, 13 fourth-quarter comebacks, 19 game-winning drives.
At the same point in Newton’s career, the numbers looked like this:
- 62-45-1 as a starter, 58.5% completion rate, 25,074 passing yards, 158 touchdowns, 94 interceptions, 256 sacks, 13 fourth-quarter comebacks, 15 game-winning drives.
As you can see here, their passing numbers are incredibly similar, especially when you account for the fact that Newton played 15 more games in his first seven seasons. The running numbers are fairly close as well:
- Josh Allen: 657 carries, 3,611 rushing yards, 5.5 yards per carry, 53 rushing touchdowns, and 59 fumbles
- Cam Newton: 828 carries, 4,320 rushing yards, 5.2 yards per carry, 54 rushing touchdowns, and 44 fumbles
So, the verdict at the end of the day is that Newton and Allen are incredibly alike as players. The big difference thus far in Allen’s career is that seven seasons in, Newton had already won Offensive Rookie of the Year, an NFL MVP Award, and played in a Super Bowl. The ROY ship has already sailed, but surely the other two are big goals on the Bills QB’s list moving forward.