The defending NFL MVP is visiting Acrisure Stadium on Sunday and, for once, it’s not Lamar Jackson or even Patrick Mahomes.

Josh Allen will try to continue his mastery of the Pittsburgh Steelers when the Buffalo Bills visit in a game that is borderline must-win situation for both teams.

Allen brings a lifetime 3-1 record against the Steelers into the matchup. That doesn’t count his playoff victory against them following the 2023 season. He has thrown 11 career touchdown passes against them, counting postseason.

Allen earned the league’s most valuable player honors last year when he denied Jackson a third win, but to Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward, Allen is much more than that.

“Josh doesn’t want to play superhero ball, but he’s the closest thing to a superhero in our game,” Heyward said this week. “He makes a lot of things happen. It’s athletic ability, arm talent. You name it, he’s got it.”

Allen has everything but a Super Bowl appearance on his resume. And with the Bills entering the game Sunday with a 7-4 record, Allen can’t afford a letdown if he’s going to get there this season. Considered by many pundits to be a Super Bowl front-runner, the Bills are two-and-a-half games behind New England in the AFC East and currently hold the No. 7 — and final — playoff berth in the AFC.

“He’s a fantastic guy, and I love the way he carries himself,” said Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, himself a four-time league MVP. “He’s arguably the best player in the league. Things have been trending up for him ever since his first year as a starter. I just really appreciate the way he represents the league. … He’s on that arc, he’s in the super-stardom stratosphere.”

With Allen at the controls, the Bills again have one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. They are ranked No. 3 in total offense and No. 5 in points. Allen is eighth in passing yards with 2,709, and he’s thrown 18 touchdown passes against nine interceptions. Regarded as one of the league’s top running quarterbacks, Allen already has rushed for 10 touchdowns this season — three more than the Steelers roster.

“It’s the intangible quality that really, really captures your attention as you study tape,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “His ability to rise up in the moment, his will, his competitive spirit, how he finishes plays, whether it’s scramble plays to keep passes alive or when he chooses to pull the ball down and run.”

Allen was at his best this season two weeks ago in a 44-32 win against Tampa Bay when he accounted for six touchdowns — three passing and three rushing — while passing for 317 yards. But he also has displayed some rare inconsistency this season, which is one reason Buffalo has a 3-4 record since winning its opening four games. He has lost to Atlanta and Miami.

A week after putting up those video-game numbers against Tampa Bay, Allen was sacked eight times, didn’t throw a touchdown pass and was intercepted twice in a 23-19 loss at Houston. If Allen indeed is the NFL’s superman, then perhaps the Texans found some kryptonite other teams can use against him?

“They were able to keep him in the pocket and collapse the pocket a lot of times,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “When he did step up, they were able to chase him down. They did a really good job that way. That’s the kind of effort we’re going to have to have if we want some success.”

When they face the Steelers, Allen and the Bills will have had 10 days to make adjustments since that loss to Houston. Although the Steelers rank fifth in the NFL with 34 sacks, teams have negated the pass rush by having the quarterback get rid of the ball quickly.

“I think analytically teams get the ball out faster against us than they do against other teams,” Austin said. “Going back and looking at it through the course of the season, teams that hold the ball, they get it out. That’s the way to combat our rush. You get it out quick with screens and not allow our guys to rush.

“That’s what we’re facing, and I would expect nothing different.”

Facing second-year quarterback Caleb Williams last week, the Steelers got a defensive touchdown when T.J. Watt stripped the ball in the end zone and Nick Herbig recovered. That score early in the second quarter was the only time in the game, however, that young Chicago quarterback was hit in the Steelers’ 31-28 loss.

Williams finished the game with three touchdown passes, relying on quick strikes to beat the Steelers. Now, they step up in class and face arguably the NFL’s best.

“We’re dealing with an MVP quarterback,” Austin said. “When you’re dealing with an MVP quarterback, that is different. Chicago has a young quarterback on the rise. This guy is an MVP. He’s one that’s been on the high level in this league for a lot of years, and that’s a different story.”

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