ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Payments had been seeking to put away the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11. Main 37-32 with 2:42 remaining within the fourth quarter, the Payments moved the ball to the Buccaneers’ 9-yard line.
On second-and-5, quarterback Josh Allen took the snap in shotgun formation, glanced rapidly to his left towards working again James Prepare dinner III after which plowed ahead behind left deal with Dion Dawkins, needling his well past three defenders and into the tip zone.
Allen laughed as he landed in the long run zone, received up and spiked the soccer himself regardless of usually handing the ball to an offensive lineman.
JOSH ALLEN 6 TOUCHDOWNS.
3 PASSING
3 RUSHINGTBvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/P9ohlDDP07
— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025
The rating made historical past. It was Allen’s sixth landing and third dashing rating of that recreation. It marked his seventy fifth landing together with his legs but additionally made him the second participant in NFL historical past with three passing and three dashing touchdowns in two video games. It has been accomplished just one different time (Otto Graham, 1954).
Allen, 29, tied Cam Newton for essentially the most regular-season dashing touchdowns by a quarterback in NFL historical past. When the Payments face the Houston Texans on “Thursday Evening Soccer” (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), the document might very properly be taken — no straightforward job in opposition to the Texans, considered one of three groups to not surrender a dashing rating to a quarterback.
Over the eight years of Allen’s profession, he has change into the face of the Payments franchise and led Buffalo to 6 playoff appearances, breaking numerous data. Whereas the checklist of dynamic quarterbacks who can run successfully has grown through the years, Allen’s dimension and talent to evade defenders has made his success distinctive. Because the reigning MVP prepares to achieve his newest mark, we break down what makes him so harmful together with his legs and a few of his favourite runs.
RUNNING WASN’T ALWAYS part of Allen’s recreation.
“[During high school] he could not run. I do not know the place he received his legs,” former Firebaugh Excessive College and Reedley Faculty assistant coach Aaron Wilkins mentioned.
Allen instructed ESPN that he credit his skill to run throughout his time at Reedley.
“Truthfully, my first few begins in junior school, I ran for lots of touchdowns (10 whole), but it surely was so uncommon as a result of in highschool I used to be so sluggish, so I do not know,” Allen mentioned. “I feel it was simply the act of truly figuring out and dwelling alone and simply consuming as a lot as I might and specializing in one sport allowed me, I feel, to possibly develop some muscle and change into a greater runner.”
A damaged collarbone in 2015 left him with loads of time within the weight room, and former Wyoming offensive coordinator Brent Vigen described him as a “utterly completely different man bodily,” from the summer season of 2015 to the next summer season.
“He will need to have had a foul offensive line in Pop Warner. He was sluggish again then,” Vigen instructed ESPN. “… He in all probability did not change into quick till his second yr of faculty.”
Allen had 142 carries for 523 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2016 and 92 carries for 204 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2017. Former Wyoming teammate James Worth famous Allen’s 7-yard landing, wherein he eluded three defenders, in opposition to Northern Illinois in triple time beyond regulation to open 2016 with a win as “form of just like the start of his legacy.”
BILLS HEAD COACH Sean McDermott famous how Allen enjoys working, however he simply needs the quarterback to remain wholesome. Allen’s fashion of play through the years has actually trended towards fewer dangers and extra sliding.
“I like that it presents a distinct problem for defenses,” Allen mentioned. “They should account for the quarterback run, which suggests you get an additional blocker within the run recreation and simply makes them have to consider that within the again there. And even when we do not put it to use all that a lot, it is all the time the specter of being there that helps, I feel, an offense out.”
By Allen’s 121 profession video games, he has recorded the identical variety of dashing touchdowns as Walter Payton, Edgerrin James and Marcus Allen did in the identical variety of video games.
Newton recorded his final dashing landing in his 145th recreation. Allen reached 75 in 121 video games. His profession dashing touchdowns are the second most by any participant since he entered the league in 2018 behind Derrick Henry (103).
Allen has 16 dashing touchdowns utilizing the tush push. Solely Jalen Hurts, who has 61 dashing scores, has extra since 2022. Of the 75, 27 have come from the 1-yard line and 71 from the crimson zone.
Opponents and folks contained in the Payments’ group word Allen’s dimension, pace and smarts as a few of his key attributes. Listed at 6-foot-5, 237 kilos, bringing the quarterback down isn’t any straightforward feat.
“It is the ball fakes, the arm skill, what he can do when he throws, after which simply the pure athleticism,” mentioned Payments defensive finish AJ Epenesa, who performed Allen in school, tackling him as soon as and lacking on one other try. “Being 240, 50 kilos and having the ability to outrun linebackers to the sidelines, run folks over.”
Allen’s willingness to interact involved is notable. Payments defensive finish Morgan Fox, who has beforehand performed in opposition to Allen, describes him as having “a mentality to be a violent bodily runner.”
Miami Dolphins security Minkah Fitzpatrick famous this yr how Allen is less complicated to deal with when he has to go left or proper slightly than down the sphere. Payments fullback Reggie Gilliam echoed Allen’s downhill working skill and the way it’s “simply straight coming at you,” with the crew’s blockers understanding to remain inside defenders when he runs.
Many who had been polled within the Payments’ locker room included Allen’s fourth-and-2 dashing landing in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs within the 2024 common season amongst his greatest. Allen agreed, “Yeah, that was a great one.”
What stands out about that rating was the timing — Allen developing large, as he so typically does late in video games together with his most dashing touchdowns within the fourth quarter (25).
“As soon as the ball is in his arms, you actually do not know what is going on to occur. Typically that is a very good factor. More often than not, it is a actually good factor,” Payments offensive coordinator Joe Brady mentioned. “You simply by no means know if he will hurdle, attempt to run a man over, if he will slide, what he will do. So, you all the time maintain your breath just a little bit on the playcalls, however you do not break NFL data for scoring dashing touchdowns by being common working the soccer. He is an absolute playmaker, dynamic, ball in his arms, good issues occur.”
WHAT MAKES A favourite play for Allen?
“Whenever you break an extended one, it is just a bit bit completely different, particularly while you break a pair tackles alongside the best way, simply really feel fairly cool,” Allen mentioned.
Listed here are a number of of his favorites:
Sept. 23, 2018 at Minnesota Vikings, 10-yard run.
When requested about his favourite dashing touchdowns, the primary that got here to thoughts for Allen is no surprise.
“[I] form of go to my, I feel it was my first one, in opposition to Minnesota, was the leaping one,” Allen mentioned. “That was form of a cool one.”
Josh Allen. To the home.#BUFvsMIN #GoBills pic.twitter.com/yYTG6WXtTs
— Buffalo Payments (@BuffaloBills) September 23, 2018
Allen had two dashing touchdowns in that recreation for the primary win of his profession. It was additionally the primary recreation wherein he made a notable leap over a defender in stride.
Linebacker Anthony Barr, whom Allen infamously hurdled, described the sport to ESPN because the quarterback’s “coming-out celebration.”
Nov. 25, 2018 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars, 14-yard run.
Josh. Allen.#JAXvsBUF #GoBills pic.twitter.com/5tAQaI3ykg
— Buffalo Payments (@BuffaloBills) November 25, 2018
Within the quarterback’s return to the sphere after sitting out 4 video games due to an elbow damage — nonetheless the one video games he has sat out in his profession due to damage — he made fairly an impression.
On this run, Allen dropped again within the pocket earlier than going up the center, stiff-arming a defender after which pushing previous one other into the tip zone.
Nov. 6, 2022 at New York Jets, 36-yard run.
Allen has lengthy been dominant in opposition to AFC East groups with 18 of the dashing touchdowns coming in division video games.
However this landing was truly a part of a Payments’ loss (20-17) to the Jets. The landing marked his longest regular-season dashing rating.
“It was a quarterback sweep left,” Allen recalled. “It was me and Mitch Morse out entrance and I form of had this bizarre slide into the tip zone and was on my head for a second. That was a enjoyable one, too, trigger it was vast open house. You aren’t getting these too typically as a quarterback.”
Designed run for @JoshAllenQB. He is gone for a 36-yard TD! 🙌
📺: #BUFvsNYJ on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/pSFLuCQneJ pic.twitter.com/dlgyH3G1Sq— NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2022
Jan. 15, 2024 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 52-yard run.
Although not a part of his 75 regular-season scores, the rescheduled wild-card recreation in opposition to the Steelers within the playoffs was introduced up by each Allen and quite a lot of Payments gamers.
It stays Allen’s longest dashing landing to this point as he dropped again within the pocket earlier than discovering a gap within the center and juked his well past defenders earlier than sprinting the remainder of the best way into the tip zone.
.@JoshAllenQB turned on the BURNERS for the 52-yard dashing TD 🗣️
📺: #PITvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/rnjmj1Pg4j pic.twitter.com/WUzjBV8d99— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2024
“I used to be sitting on a bull rush, and I regarded again and I simply see him take off and I used to be like, ‘OK,’ and simply jogging down, and I used to be like, ‘Oh, he is nonetheless going,'” Payments offensive lineman Connor McGovern mentioned. “After which a landing.”


