March 5, 2026
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Allen’s favorite rushing TDs from the record breaker himself

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  • Alaina GetzenbergNovember 20, 2025, 06:00 AM ET

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      Alaina Getzenberg covers the Buffalo Bills for ESPN. She joined ESPN in 2021. Alaina was previously a beat reporter for the Charlotte Observer and has also worked for CBS Sports and the Dallas Morning News. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Orchard Park, NY – The buffalo bill wanted to keep away tampa bay buccaneers In Week 11, leading 37–32 with 2:42 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Bills took the ball to the Buccaneers’ 9-yard line.

On second and fifth, quarterback josh allen Took picture in gun shape, saw him running quickly to his left James Cook III and then plowed forward behind the left tackle Dion DawkinsGoes past three defenders and reaches the end zone.

Allen laughed as he landed in the end zone, got up and fumbled the football himself despite normally handing the ball off to an offensive lineman.

This score created history. It was Allen’s sixth touchdown and third rushing score of that game. This marked his 75th touchdown with his legs, but also made him the second player in NFL history with three passing and three rushing touchdowns in two games. This has been done only once more (Otto Graham, 1954).

The 29-year-old Allen tied Cam Newton for the most rushing touchdowns in a regular season by a quarterback in NFL history. When Bills Face Off houston texans On “Thursday Night Football” (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), the record may very well be up for grabs — no easy task against the Texans, one of three teams not to give up a rushing score to a quarterback.

Over Allen’s eight-year career, he has become the face of the Bills franchise and has led Buffalo to six playoff appearances while breaking countless records. While the list of dynamic quarterbacks who run effectively has grown over the years, Allen’s size and ability to evade defenders has made his success unique. As the reigning MVP prepares to reach his latest mark, we take a look at what makes him so dangerous with his legs and some of his favorite runs.

running wasn’t always A part of Alan’s game.

,[During high school] He could not run away. I don’t know where his legs came from,” said former Firebaugh High School and Reedley College assistant coach Aaron Wilkins.

Allen told ESPN that he credits his ability to run during his time at Reedley.

“To be honest, my first few starts in junior college, I ran for a lot of touchdowns (10 total), but that was very unusual because in high school I was very slow, so I don’t know,” Allen said. “I think it was really the act of working out and living on my own and eating as much as I could and focusing on a sport that, I think, probably allowed me to develop some muscle and become a better runner.”

A broken collarbone in 2015 caused him to spend a lot of time in the weight room, and former Wyoming offensive coordinator Brent Wigen described him as “a completely different guy physically” from the summer of 2015 to the following summer.

“Their offensive line must have been bad at Pop Warner. They were slow back then,” Wigen told ESPN. “…He probably didn’t get fast until his sophomore year of college.”

Allen had 142 carries for 523 yards and seven touchdowns in 2016 and 92 carries for 204 yards and five touchdowns in 2017. Former Wyoming teammate James Price noted Allen’s 7-yard touchdown run as he dodged three defenders against Northern Illinois in triple overtime and began 2016 with the win as “kind of the birth of his legacy.”

bill’s head coach Sean McDermott noted how much Allen enjoys running backs, but he just wants the quarterback to stay healthy. Allen’s style of play has definitely moved towards less risk and more slippage over the years.

“I like that it presents a different challenge for security,” Allen said. “They have to account for the quarterback run, which means you get an extra blocker in the run game and just have to think about the backs. And even though we don’t use it that much, it’s always the threat of being there that helps, I think, an offensive out.”

Through Allen’s 121 career games, he has recorded the same number of rushing touchdowns as Walter Payton, Edgerrin James, and Marcus Allen in the same number of games.

Newton recorded his last rushing touchdown in his 145th game. Allen reached 75 in 121 games. His career rushing touchdowns are the second most by any player since entering the league in 2018 derrick henry (103).

Allen has 16 rushing touchdowns using the tush push. Only jalen hurtsWho have 61 rushing scores, the most since 2022. Of the 75, 27 came from the 1-yard line and 71 from the red zone.

Opponents and those inside the Bills organization view Allen’s size, speed, and smarts as some of his key attributes. Bringing down a quarterback who weighs in at 6-foot-5, 237 pounds is no easy feat.

“It’s ball copying, arm ability, what he can do when he throws, and then just pure athleticism,” Bills said of the defensive end. AJ EpenesaWho played Allen in college, tackled him once and missed on the second attempt. “Being 240, 50 pounds and being able to edge out linebackers, crush guys.”

Alan’s willingness to engage is remarkable. Bills defensive end morgan foxThose who have played against Allen before describe him as having “the mentality of being a violent physical runner.”

miami dolphins Security minka fitzpatrick This year saw how much easier Allen is to deal with when he has to go left or right rather than down the field. bill fullback reggie gilliam Allen’s ability to run downhill and how it reflected “coming straight at you”, the team’s blockers knew to stay inside defenders when he ran.

Allen’s rushing touchdown against fourth-and-2 was among those surveyed in the Bills’ locker room. kansas city chiefs One of his best in the 2024 regular season. Alan agreed, “Yeah, it was good.”

What stood out about that score was the timing – Allen scoring big as he often does late in games, with his fastest rushing touchdown coming in the fourth quarter (25).

Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady said, “Once the ball gets in his hands, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. Sometimes it’s a really good thing. Most of the time, it’s a really good thing.” “You never know if he’s going to throw an interception, try to crush a guy, if he’s going to slide, what he’s going to do. So, you’re always holding your breath a little bit on the playcall, but you don’t break the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by running the football on average. He’s a complete playmaker, dynamic, with the ball in his hands, good things happen.”

What does A make? Favorite game for Allen?

“It’s a little different when you break a long tackle, especially when you break a few tackles along the way, it feels great,” Allen said.

Here are some of his favourites:

September 23, 2018 at minnesota vikings, 10 yard race.

When asked about his favorite rushing touchdown, the first thing that comes to Allen’s mind is not surprising.

,[I] Like me, I think it was my first game against Minnesota, going for a jumper,” Allen said. “That was kind of cool.”

Allen scored two rushing touchdowns in that game for his first career win. This was also their first game in which they won a remarkable leap Above a defender in progress.

Linebacker Anthony Barr, who was maligned by Allen, Described the game for ESPN As the quarterback’s “coming-out party”.

November 25, 2018 vs jacksonville jaguars14 yard run.

In the quarterback’s return to the field after sitting out four games due to an elbow injury – still the only game he has sat out in his career due to the injury – he made quite an impact.

On this run, Allen dropped back into the pocket before going up the middle, forcing one defender and then forcing another into the end zone.

November 6, 2022 at New York Jets36-yard run.

Allen has long been effective against AFC East teams, with 18 of his rushing touchdowns coming in division games.

But this touchdown was actually part of the Bills’ loss (20–17) to the Jets. The touchdown marked his longest rushing score of the regular season.

“It was a quarterback sweep left,” Allen recalled. “There was me and Mitch Morse up front and I had a weird slip in the end zone and was in over my head for a second. That was a fun one, too, because it was pretty open space. You don’t get that often as a quarterback.”

January 15, 2024 Vs. pittsburgh steelers52 yards rushing.

Although it was not part of his 75 regular-season scores, the rescheduled wild-card game against the Steelers in the playoffs was brought up by Allen and various Bills players.

This remains Allen’s longest rushing touchdown to date as he dropped back into the pocket before finding an opening over the middle and eluding defenders before running the rest of the way to the end zone.

“I was sitting on a bull rush, and I looked back and I saw him take off and I said, ‘Okay,’ and just keep going down, and I thought, ‘Oh, he’s still going,'” said the Bills offensive lineman. Connor McGovern Said. “And then a touchdown.”

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