Josh Allen's elite rushing production has vaulted him among the greats in Bills history, and he's not even a running back, and only in his fourth season.
With two first-quarter rushing touchdowns Sunday against Atlanta, Allen has vaulted into a tie for third in team history with 31 rushing scores. The touchdowns came from 1 and 4 yards out, both on designed quarterback sweeps.
Buffalo #Bills all-time rushing TDs:1) Thurman Thomas 652) O.J. Simpson 573) JOSH ALLEN 313) Cookie Gilchrist 315) Fred Jackson 30
— Jason Wolf (@JasonWolf) January 2, 2022
There's still significant distance between the fourth-year quarterback and the Bills' Hall of Fame rushing duo of Thurman Thomas (65) and O.J. Simpson (57), but Allen's production is impressive considering his primary role is as a passer. Before Allen's tenure, Jack Kemp paced Buffalo in rushing scores by a quarterback with 25.
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The Bills' public relations staff also tweeted that Allen became the first NFL quarterback to rush for six or more touchdowns in each of his first four seasons. He ran for eight TDs as a rookie, nine in his second year and eight last season. His fifth and sixth rushing scores of the 2021 season came Sunday vs. the Falcons.
Cam Newton is the all-time leader in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 58; he ran for five or more scores in seven consecutive seasons (2011-2017).
Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens' mobile quarterback from the same draft class as Allen, has posted similar numbers, with more than five rushing TDs in each of his first three seasons. The Louisville product has found the end zone just twice on the ground in 2021, however.
Josh Allen is the first QB in #NFL history with four consecutive seasons with 6+ rushing touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/J6RiHL1e6L
— Buffalo Bills PR (@BuffaloBillsPR) January 2, 2022
