"It’s kind of surreal": When Josh Allen was gearing up for his first-ever matchup against 'greatest' Tom Brady

Tom Brady is arguably the greatest QB ever in the NFL. Some fans may not agree, but Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen feels so. Although the two QBs haven’t faced each other much due to their generation gap, Allen had the privilege to take the field against Brady’s Patriots before the latter’s retirement.

Though Allen was drafted in 2018 and the Bills faced the Patriots twice in the 2018-19 season, their first complete encounter happened on Dec. 21, 2019, at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough. Ahead of their match, Allen praised the veteran Brady during the pregame media session.

[01:50] “It’s kind of surreal that I get a chance to face off against him," Allen said. "His game, he's been on ever since he’s been on the field. The way he attacks the game, how smart he is football-wise—situational football—is one of his key strengths. He’s just arguably one of the greatest to ever play.”

Leading up to the game, Tom Brady had only lost three times against the Bills. Allen was aware of Brady’s record.

“When you’ve got a coach and quarterback duo that’s that good, I think any team is going to struggle with that," Allen said. "That’s kind of what every team wants to be, is the type of team that New England’s been the past couple decades. They’re constantly in the hunt for the Super Bowl.”

Tom Brady beats Josh Allen in a close encounter

When the game eventually happened, Tom Brady proved Josh Allen right by winning the encounter 24-17. He finished with 26 off 33 passes for 271 yards and one TD with no INT. Brady showed his experience and skills in the closing moments of the game when the Patriots were behind 17-16.

A confident Brady shot for a clear victory over a tied score and went for a two-point conversion after scoring a TD courtesy of WR Julian Edelman.

On the other hand, Allen completed 13 of his 26 passes for 208 yards and two TDs, also rushing for 43 yards.