Josh Allen had a lot on his shoulders in the Buffalo Bills' season opener. The Houston Texans kept the pressure on Buffalo throughout the game, and their passing game gave the Bills' defense plenty to deal with. But in the game's final moments, Allen stepped up and gave his team a chance to finish it.

The Bills came away with a 36-31 win, with Allen putting together a four-touchdown performance. Former tight end Rob Gronkowski noticed the way the quarterback handled the pressure.

“But the Buffalo Bills, Josh Allen put that cape on, and he was Josh Allen. He had a lot of pressure on him, but he still performed at the highest level that he needed to,” Rob Gronkowski said on 14 September.

Allen completed 20 of his 29 passes for 334 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two more scores and finished with 23 rushing yards. Houston took a 31-30 lead late in the fourth quarter, leaving Buffalo with 96 yards to go for a potential winning score.

“Over 300 yards, two touchdown passes thrown. He ran also for two touchdowns. That's what Josh Allen needed to do,” Gronkowski said on The Gronk & Jules Show on 14 September.

It was also a notable result for Allen, who entered the game 0-4 in Houston. The win gave him his first victory there and also handed Joe Brady a win in his first regular-season game as the Buffalo Bills' head coach.

Gronkowski's comments also add another layer to his praise for Allen. The former tight end has previously named the Bills quarterback as a current NFL quarterback he would have liked to play with, according to Hitch.

Allen still has his own postseason goals with Buffalo. But after the way the Bills opened the 2026 season, his performance against Houston gave them a strong start.

Gronkowski's praise comes as another former NFL quarterback, Russell Wilson, has already made his own prediction about Allen's 2026 campaign.

Could 2026 be another big year for Josh Allen?

Russell Wilson has put his name behind Josh Allen as his pick for the 2026 NFL MVP.

Speaking on “Set Hut!”, Wilson said Allen has a real opportunity to claim the award again, pointing to the changes around Buffalo as part of the reason.

“I think that he has a definite chance to win it,” Russell Wilson said on “Set Hut!”, according to Heavy. “I'm calling it out that he's probably gonna win it this year, because I think he knows it's time for the Buffalo Bills.

Allen already has four Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro honors and the 2024 MVP award on his résumé.

His 2025 season ended with Buffalo's playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, with turnovers becoming a problem during the campaign.

"New stadium … new coach. Obviously, the coach has been with him in Joe Brady, but I think it's gonna make a difference this year,” Wilson added.

But another MVP would not complete Allen's list of goals. The Bills are still chasing their first Super Bowl title with their star quarterback, with the Detroit Lions next on the schedule in Week 2.

Written by

Debanjali Rakshit