Happy Thanksgiving! While you’re waiting to be thankful for what’s going on in the kitchen during the holiday, why not reflect on what to be thankful for in terms of the Buffalo Bills, too?

Our friends over at the NFL Wire got a head start on that earlier this week. Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield pegged one person each NFL should be “thankful” for in 2020. For the Bills, it’s a no-brainer pick: Quarterback Josh Allen.

Here’s how Schofield breaks down the Allen pick:

Yes, quarterbacks get the bulk of the credit when things are going well, and the lion’s share of the blame when they are not, but the Josh Allen story is the biggest reason for the Bills’ success this season.

After all, the quarterback position was likely their biggest question coming into the season. Their defense was a strength, they added Stefon Diggs to their offensive weaponry, and the biggest question was whether Allen would finally be the quarterback Buffalo needed him to be.

In large part, Allen has answered that call. Entering Week 11 he was among the league leaders in Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt with a mark of 7.45, placing him eighth in the NFL. He has thrown seven interceptions while tossing 21 touchdown passes, and perhaps most importantly he has been much more effective in the downfield passing game. While last year Allen was at the bottom in downfield passing success, his Adjusted Completion Percentage of 43.9% on throws of 20 yards or more is a big jump for him, and with Diggs in the fold it should be no surprise.

There’s no way this pick was going to be anything other than Allen, right? The Bills would be a in terrible situation right now if it wasn’t for their quarterback.

As reference, most expected the Bills defense would lead the way in 2020 for this team in a wide-open AFC East race. Instead, the Bills got a huge jump from their QB, and now as the team exits their bye week, most are just hoping the defense can now keep pace. If that does happen, the Bills could become a dark horse Super Bowl candidate… yes, Super Bowl candidate, this season. But there’s still a lot of improvement needed around Allen before that case can be made.