Josh Allen (quarterback)
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Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
for the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). Allen played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
, where he was a
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
MVP and was selected seventh overall by the Bills in the
2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. After inconsistent play during his first two years, Allen had a breakout season in 2020 when he led the Bills to their first division title and playoff victory since 1995 en route to an
AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world. ...
appearance. He also set the Bills franchise records for single-season passing yards and touchdowns, while earning
Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...
and second-team
All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list th ...
honors. Allen brought the Bills to a consecutive division title the following year, the franchise's first since 1991, and became the first NFL quarterback to have a touchdown-scoring drive on every offensive possession of a game.


Early years

Allen grew up on a cotton farm near Firebaugh, California, a small town about west of
Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
. His family has lived in the area since his great-grandfather, who emigrated from Sweden in 1907, settled there during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. The farm where he was raised was established in 1975 by his paternal grandfather, who was also a longtime member of the local school board and namesake of the gymnasium of Firebaugh High School, from which Allen graduated in 2014. Growing up as a
Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...
fan who regularly attended both games and football camps, Allen tried to draw the interest of the program's coaching staff; his father tried to sell the Bulldogs' head coach at the time,
Tim DeRuyter Timothy James DeRuyter ( ; born January 3, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the defensive coordinator at Texas Tech University. He previously served in the same capacity at the University of Oregon in 2021 an ...
, on him, but DeRuyter chose not to offer a
scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...
. DeRuyter was not alone in this assessment; Allen received no scholarship offers from any
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
program—whether in the top-level FBS or second-tier FCS.
San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...
made him an offer to walk on, but Allen turned it down because Aztecs coach
Rocky Long Roderick John Long Jr. (born January 27, 1950) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the defensive coordinator at Syracuse. Prior to being hired by Syracuse, Long was the defensive coordinator at New Mexico. He play ...
couldn't guarantee any playing time. In a 2017 story on Allen,
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journalist
Mark Schlabach Mark Schlabach (born in Knox, Indiana) is an American sports journalist, New York Times best-selling author, columnist, and reporter for ESPN.com. Schlabach joined ESPN.com in July 2006 as a college football and college basketball columnist. He ...
speculated on why Allen got so little interest out of high school:
At the time, Josh was about 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds. He hadn't attended the elite quarterback camps and wasn't a widely known prospect. His high school team didn't participate in many 7-on-7 camps because Josh and many of his teammates were busy playing baseball and other sports. He was the leading scorer on his basketball team and also pitched on the baseball team, reaching 90 mph with his fastball.
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writer Jeff Eisenberg added in another 2017 story:
At a time when many scholarship-hungry families encourage their kids to specialize in one sport or to transfer to the school that will provide the most exposure, the Allens resisted both trends. They spurned overtures from more prominent Central Valley programs after Allen's breakout junior season and kept him at Firebaugh, living by the family mantra that "you bloom where you’re planted."
Not only was Allen involved in multiple sports while in high school, he also regularly worked on the family farm and at the restaurant his mother operated in Firebaugh. Allen was a member of the
National FFA Organization National FFA Organization is an American 501(c)(3) youth organization, specifically a career and technical student organization, based on middle and high school classes that promote and support agriculture, agricultural education. It was founded i ...
through his local chapter at Firebaugh High School. Allen received numerous awards for his agricultural work and knowledge including a rank in the top four in the nation in diversified crop production of cantaloupe, cotton, and wheat in 2014.


College career


Reedley College

Allen attended
Reedley College Reedley College (Reedley or RC) is a public community college in Reedley, California. It is a part of the California Community Colleges system within the State Center Community College District (SCCCD). It is accredited by the WASC Accredit ...
, a
junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
where one of the football assistant coaches at the time was married to Allen's cousin. In his only season with Reedley College, Allen led an offense that averaged 452.2 yards of total offense per game to rank No. 9 among all California junior-college teams in total offense. Reedley averaged 285.3 passing yards per game to rank No. 7 among all California junior colleges, scored 39.4 points per game to rank No. 10 in the state, and averaged 166.9 yards rushing to rank 26th. Individually, Allen's 26 touchdown passes tied him for No. 7 among all California junior-college quarterbacks in 2014. He also ranked 20th among California JUCO quarterbacks in passing yards as a freshman, and ranked 42nd in the state in rushing, averaging 66.0 yards per game. Allen did not play in the team's first three games in 2014, but in the next game he ran for four touchdowns after coming off the bench, and soon became the team's starter, throwing for 25 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions for the rest of the season. By then, he had grown to 6'5" and 210 pounds (1.96 m, 95 kg), and his coaches at Reedley thought that he would soon receive many FBS scholarship offers. This proved incorrect; near the end of the season, Allen sent a mass email to every head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and quarterback coach in FBS, but received interest from only a small number of schools. Only
Eastern Michigan Eastern Michigan University (EMU, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern), is a public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School, the school was the fourth normal school established in the United Sta ...
and
Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
offered him a scholarship, and Eastern Michigan withdrew its offer when Allen visited Wyoming late in the 2014–15 junior-college signing period. Wyoming's coaches initially visited Reedley to scout another potential transfer, but former Fresno State assistant Dave Brown, who had since become part of the inaugural staff of new Wyoming Cowboys head coach
Craig Bohl Craig Philip Bohl (born July 27, 1958) is an American college football coach and former player, currently the head football coach at the University of Wyoming. He was previously the head coach at North Dakota State University in Fargo from 2003 ...
, was familiar with Allen, and urged offensive coordinator
Brent Vigen Brent Erick Vigen (born March 19, 1975) is an American football coach and former player. Vigen is currently the head coach for the Montana State Bobcats football, Montana State Bobcats. He was previously the associate head coach and offensive coo ...
to
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him. While researching Allen, Vigen noticed a large number of parallels between Allen and a quarterback whom he had recruited in 2010 while serving in the same role at
North Dakota State North Dakota State University (NDSU, formally North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences) is a public land-grant research university in Fargo, North Dakota. It was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as t ...
Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS nat ...
, who went on to become a starting quarterback for the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. Wentz was similar in size to Allen, and also shared Allen's small-town, multi-sport, and late-blooming background. Bohl soon warmed to Allen as a prospect, especially after their initial quarterback prospect committed to
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. Bohl was the only FBS head coach to visit the family farm, and while there, he told Allen's father, "We went all around the country and there's only one quarterback we want and that's your son. He's going to be the face of our program." Despite receiving an offer from Wyoming, Allen made one final pitch to Fresno State's staff, sending a pointed email to an assistant referencing the fact that the team had received a commitment from a quarterback prospect who was both shorter and lighter than Allen was when Fresno State turned him down in high school. After being rebuffed, he committed to Wyoming, enrolling there prior to the 2015 season.


University of Wyoming

In his first year at Wyoming, he played in two games and made one start. In his first career start he attempted only four passes before suffering a broken collarbone which ended his season; because the injury occurred early in the season, he qualified for a medical
redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
. Allen returned from the injury in 2016 and was Wyoming's starter. After throwing for over 3,200 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2016, he contemplated declaring for the
2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
, initially telling his family, girlfriend, and a few friends that he would turn pro. Shortly before the deadline to declare for the draft, Vigen called Allen's father to explain why he should stay at Wyoming an extra year; according to Eisenberg, "When Joel Allen got off the phone and entered his son’s room, he found his son riddled with anxiety about his decision." Before the draft declaration deadline, Bohl told Allen that staying in school one more year would improve his long-term NFL prospects, and Allen also sought advice from Wentz, who told him that in the NFL, he would have many league veterans depending on him to "win games and help secure their jobs." Allen ultimately remained at Wyoming. He threw for 1,812 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions in
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.


College statistics


Professional career

Shortly after the completion of the
2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...
, ''
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'' reporter
Adam Schefter Adam Schefter (born December 21, 1966) is an American sports writer and television analyst. After graduating from University of Michigan and Northwestern University with degrees in journalism, Schefter wrote for several newspapers, including ''T ...
said about Allen's NFL prospects, "There was one personnel director who told me this week that you can put in the books, Josh Allen will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft next year." In December 2017, after leading the 8–5 Cowboys to a 37–14 win over
Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...
in the 2017 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Allen announced he would be entering the
2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. In his first
mock draft Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to vote towards a sp ...
in January 2018, ESPN draft analyst
Mel Kiper Jr. Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks. Career Kiper said th ...
predicted that the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
would select Allen over other top quarterbacks in the 2018 draft, such as
Josh Rosen Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen (born February 10, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and ...
,
Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...
,
Baker Mayfield Baker Reagan Mayfield (born April 14, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint with Texas Tech, Mayfield played college football at Oklahoma, where he won the Hei ...
, and
Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...
. On the day of the draft, old Twitter posts of his in which Allen used racial and homophobic slurs when he was in high school, were brought up. He apologized, stating that he was "young and dumb" for making them. The
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
drafted Allen as the seventh overall pick in the draft, trading up from 12th overall with the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
to make the selection. On July 25, he signed a four-year, fully guaranteed $21 million contract with the Bills.


2018 season

Allen competed for the starting quarterback position with
A. J. McCarron Raymond Anthony "A. J." McCarron Jr. (born September 13, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. McCarron played college ...
and
Nathan Peterman Nathan Michael Peterman (born May 4, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Pittsburgh following a stint with Tennessee and was selected by the Buffal ...
through the offseason and training camp. Despite a quality preseason, Allen started the season as the backup to Peterman after McCarron was traded to the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
. On September 9, 2018, Allen made his first regular season appearance against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
after Peterman was benched after posting a 0.0 passer rating. Allen finished with 74 passing yards and 26 rushing yards as the Bills lost 47–3. On September 12, the Bills announced that Allen would start the following week against the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
. Allen finished with 245 passing yards, his first NFL passing touchdown, which went to
Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for ...
, and two interceptions as the Bills lost 20–31. He also rushed for 32 yards. Allen's 57-yard completion to
Zay Jones Isaiah Avery "Zay" Jones (born March 30, 1995) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Carolina. Jones is the all-time NCAA Division I career r ...
, which traveled 64 yards, tied for the second longest air distance ever recorded by ''NFL Next Gen Stats'' for a completed pass. During a Week 3 matchup against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
, Allen led the Bills to their first victory of the season with a dominant first-half performance. Allen passed for 196 yards and a touchdown, adding 39 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns in a 27–6 victory. In particular, he hurdled over Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on one of his scrambles to pick up a first down, a play that went viral on social media. During Week 5 against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, Allen completed 10 of 19 passes for 82 passing yards and an interception in the 13–12 win, adding another rushing touchdown. The following week, in a 20–13 loss to the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Allen suffered an elbow injury and did not return. He finished the game completing 10 of 17 passes for 84 passing yards and 20 rushing yards. He was expected to miss at least two games with the injury. Allen returned after missing four games, getting the start against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
, which was noteworthy as Jaguars cornerback
Jalen Ramsey Jalen Lattrel Ramsey (born October 24, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars fifth over ...
had called Allen "trash" prior to the season. In a back-and-forth game that saw the Bills win 24–21 over the Jaguars, Allen completed 8 of 19 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, adding 99 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown on 13 rushes. The 99 rushing yards broke the Bills franchise record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback, previously held by
Tyrod Taylor Tyrod Diallo Taylor (born August 3, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Virginia Tech, leading the Hokies to the 2009 Orange Bowl as a Sophomore ...
. Despite a 21–17 loss to the
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the following week, Allen threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns and added 135 yards on the ground (averaging 15.0 yards per pass attempt). During a game against the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
and fellow rookie quarterback
Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...
in Week 14, Allen finished with 206 passing yards and 2 interceptions, adding a rushing touchdown on 101 rushing yards as the Bills lost a close game 23–27. Allen became the first quarterback in NFL history with at least 95 yards rushing in a three-week span, accumulating 335 yards. After a 24–12 loss to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in Week 16, Allen rebounded in the rematch against the Dolphins in Week 17. Despite throwing his first career pick-six, he scored five total touchdowns, three passing and two rushing, along with 224 passing yards and 95 rushing yards as the Bills routed the Dolphins 42–17. The performance earned him recognition as the AFC's Offensive Player of the Week. The Bills finished 6–10 on the season, 5–6 with Allen as the starting quarterback. He became the first quarterback in Bills history to lead the team in both passing and rushing in a season. He led all quarterbacks with eight rushing touchdowns on the season, but also had the lowest completion percentage at 52.8.


2019 season

Allen entered 2019 as the Bills' opening day starter, being named a team captain. On September 8, 2019, Allen led the Bills to a comeback win over the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in week 1. Despite the Bills being down 16–0 at one point in the third quarter, Allen led the team to 17 unanswered points. He finished the game with 254 passing yards on 24 completions, both career highs. He also had one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown, and two interceptions. After leading Buffalo to its first 3–0 start since 2011, Allen struggled against a stout
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
defense, throwing three interceptions, but became the first player to score an offensive touchdown on the Patriots in the 2019 season. He completed 13 of 28 passes for 153 yards, and also rushed for 26 yards and the aforementioned touchdown before suffering a helmet-to-helmet hit from Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones, which forced him out of the eventual 16–10 Bills loss. Despite being placed in the concussion protocol, Allen returned the following week against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, completing 23 of 32 pass attempts for 219 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 14–7 Bills win. In Week 10 against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
, Allen completed 22 of 41 passes for 266 yards and ran for 28 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bills lost 19–16 because of two missed field goal attempts. The following week against the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, he passed for 256 yards and three touchdowns, matching a career high, and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown as the Bills won 37–20. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 11. Against the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
on Thanksgiving in week 13, Allen completed 19 of 24 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 120.7, also rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown in a 26–15 Bills win. In Week 15 against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on '' Sunday Night Football'', Allen threw for 139 yards, one touchdown, and one interception and rushed for 28 yards and a touchdown during the 17–10 win. As a result of the win, the Bills clinched a spot in the playoffs. In the rematch against the Patriots in Week 16, Allen passed for 208 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yarder to
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
, but Buffalo fell short once again, losing 24–17 to surrender the division title to New England. With playoff seeding locked up, Allen had a limited role in the regular season finale loss to the New York Jets. He finished the 2019 season with 3,089 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, and nine interceptions to go along with 109 carries for 510 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns, while also leading the league with four fourth quarter comebacks and five game-winning drives. However, he also posted the league's lowest completion percentage for a second consecutive year at 58.8.


2019–20 postseason

In the AFC Wild Card Round against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Allen started strong, breaking
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
's franchise post-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (37) with a single 42-yard run on the first drive, and caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver
John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...
on a trick play, similar to what
Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft ...
did in
Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
. After building a 16–0 lead early in the third quarter, the Bills were unable to keep momentum and ultimately had to come from behind in the final moments to force overtime. Overall, Allen finished with 92 rushing yards, 264 passing yards, 16 receiving yards, and one total touchdown as the Bills lost 19–22 in overtime. Allen was just the third player since 1975 with 250+ pass yards, 40+ rush yards, and 15+ receiving yards in a single game.


2020 season

In August 2020, Allen was reportedly among a group of 77 NFL players that tested positive for
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. However, all 77 results were later revealed to have been false positives due to mishandling by the laboratory that performed the testing. Allen remarked that he was frustrated by the error. Allen started the season strong, attaining his first three games with over 300 yards passing in his professional career with wins over the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
,
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
, and
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, with a high of 415 yards against Miami and a last-minute comeback win over Los Angeles. He became the first Bills quarterback to throw for 300 yards since Tyrod Taylor recorded 329 yards in Week 16 of the 2016 season, and also became the first Bills quarterback to pass for 300 yards in back-to-back games since
Drew Bledsoe Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, whe ...
in 2002. Through the first two weeks, Allen joined
Peyton Manning Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and four with th ...
(),
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
(), and
Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played co ...
() as the only four quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 700 yards passing, six touchdowns, and no interceptions through the first two weeks of a season. After week 3, he became the first quarterback in Bills' history with at least 300 pass yards and three touchdowns in three consecutive weeks and surpassed Jim Kelly's franchise record for most passing touchdowns in the team's first three games with ten. On October 1, 2020, Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in September. In Week 4, Allen won against the
Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...
by a score of 30–23, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, with another rushing touchdown. He led the Bills to their first 4–0 record since 2008. The following week, Allen and the Bills played the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on Tuesday, October 13, with the game having been delayed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Titans' organization. This was just the second Tuesday night football game in 70 years. The Bills lost 42–16. Allen finished the game with 26 completions on 41 attempts, passing for 263 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. In Week 8, Allen led the Bills to a 24–21 victory over the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Buffalo's first home win against the Patriots since 2011 and Allen's first career win against the Patriots. The following week, he would become the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least 400 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 130 in multiple games in a single season during Buffalo's 44–34 upset victory over the heavily favored
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. Allen completed 31 of 38 (81.6 completion percentage) passes for 415 yards and three passing touchdowns, adding 14 yards and another touchdown on the ground. The Bills improved to 7–2 on the year for the first time since 1993. After the game, it was revealed by Bills head coach
Sean McDermott Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, ...
that Allen had played one day after the death of his grandmother. In Week 10, the Bills traveled west to play the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...
. In a shootout match, Allen completed 32 of 49 passes for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. He also rushed for 38 yards on 7 carries and caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from
Isaiah McKenzie Isaiah McKenzie (born April 9, 1995) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in t ...
on a trick play. Allen's second touchdown pass to
Stefon Diggs Stefon Marsean Diggs (born November 29, 1993) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round ...
put the Bills up 30–26 with only 34 seconds left in the game, but the Bills lost after Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M University, Texas A&M, Murray played college football at University of Okl ...
completed a Hail Mary pass to
DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round o ...
with just two seconds left. After the bye week, Allen had a quiet but effective game during a 27–17 Week 12 win over the
Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...
, completing 18 of 24 passes for 157 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, in addition to 32 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and one fumble. Allen had another strong game the following week on ''
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
'' against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, completing 32 of 40 attempts for 375 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 34–24 victory, also becoming the first quarterback in Buffalo's history to attempt 40 or more passes in a single game while completing at least 80% of his passes and joined
Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
as the only two quarterbacks in league history to have three games of 375 passing yards, 3+ passing touchdowns and a 130+ passer rating in a single season. Allen broke Jim Kelly's franchise record for the most total touchdowns by a single player during a Week 14 win over the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
on ''Sunday Night Football'' after passing for two touchdowns during the game. He finished the game with 238 yards, the two touchdowns, and an interception. The following week against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, Allen helped the Bills clinch their first AFC East division title since
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
, six months before he was born. He finished the game with 359 yards passing and two passing touchdowns, in addition to 33 yards rushing and two scores on the ground, during the 48–19 Bills win. During a Week 16 rematch with the Patriots on ''Monday Night Football'', Allen completed 27 of 36 attempts for 320 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, surpassing Kelly's franchise record for single-season passing touchdowns. By helping Buffalo win 38–9, Allen also allowed the Bills to sweep the Patriots for the first time since . Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for his performance in December. Overall, Allen finished the 2020 season with 4,544 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, and ten interceptions to go along with 102 carries for 421 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. He also significantly improved his completion percentage from being the lowest in his previous seasons to fourth overall at 69.2. Throughout the season, Allen was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week four times, namely for his performance in Week 2 against Miami, Week 9 against Seattle, week 13 against San Francisco, and Week 15 against Denver. He became the first player in franchise history to win the award at least three times in a single season. On December 21, 2020, Allen and four of his teammates were named to the 2021 Pro Bowl, which took place virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He ultimately finished in second-place for
MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
voting, receiving four votes, which was ahead of Mahomes but behind winner Aaron Rodgers.


2020–21 postseason

In the 2020–21 NFL playoffs#AFC: Buffalo Bills 27, Indianapolis Colts 24, Wild Card Round against the 2020 Indianapolis Colts season, Indianapolis Colts, Allen completed 26 of 35 passes for 324 yards, rushed for 54 yards, and had three total touchdowns as the Bills won 27–24 giving the Bills their first playoff win since
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
. Facing
Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...
and the number-one rushing offense and top-ten defense in the 2020 Baltimore Ravens season, Baltimore Ravens in the 2020–21 NFL playoffs#AFC: Buffalo Bills 17, Baltimore Ravens 3, Divisional Round, Allen and the Bills would find themselves on the right end of a defensive battle with a 17–3 win. Allen completed 62.2% of his passes for 206 yards and one touchdown with no turnovers. The following week, Allen faced a rematch against the 2020 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City Chiefs, whom the Bills faced in Week 6, in Buffalo's first 2020–21 NFL playoffs#AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 38, Buffalo Bills 24, AFC Championship appearance since 1993. He completed 28 of 48 pass attempts for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that was his first career pick in the redzone, in addition to rushing for 88 yards, as the Bills lost 38–24. A minor scuffle occurred after Allen was tackled by Chiefs defender Alex Okafor after a play was blown dead in the fourth quarter, in which the former responded by flicking the ball at Okafor's helmet. Okafor began to taunt Allen until Bills linemen Jon Feliciano and Dion Dawkins shoved Okafor onto the ground. All four players received offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.


2021 season

In May 2021, the Bills exercised the fifth-year option on Allen's rookie contract, tying him to the team through the 2022 season. On August 6, 2021, Allen signed a six-year contract extension worth up to $258 million with $150 million guaranteed. Allen surpassed 10,000 career passing yards during a 35–0 shutout win against the 2021 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins in Week 2. In Week 3, Allen and the Bills defeated the 2021 Washington Football Team season, Washington Football Team 43–21, as Allen passed for 358 yards and scored five touchdowns. He became just the fourth player in NFL history to record multiple career games with at least 300 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown. He also tied Jack Kemp's franchise record for most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback with 26. The Bills faced the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium for a rematch of the previous year's AFC Championship game in Week 5. During the Bills' 38–20 win, Allen completed 15 of 26 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns, amassing 21 yards per completion, a career-high and the highest by any NFL quarterback in the prior two seasons. He also rushed for 59 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries, including another hurdle over a defender to pick up a first down in the fourth quarter. The following week, the Bills faced the 2021 Tennessee Titans season, Tennessee Titans on ''
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...
''. Despite a strong performance, Allen was stopped short by the Titans' defensive line during a quarterback sneak on a critical 4th and 1 situation on the Titans 3 yard line in the final moments of the game, allowing Tennessee to win 34–31. His final stat line for the game was 353 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception along with 26 rushing yards. Allen's three touchdowns allowed him to pass
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
for the most touchdowns thrown by a Bills quarterback in his first four seasons with the team. In a Week 8 rematch against Miami, Allen and the Bills offense started slow, but he accounted for two passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in the second half of a 26–11 win. The rushing touchdown gave Allen 28 for his career, tying Cam Newton's record for the most rushing touchdowns in a quarterback's first 50 starts. In a 6–9 loss to the 2021 Jacksonville Jaguars season, Jacksonville Jaguars the following week, Allen was held without a touchdown for the first time in the season, in addition to being sacked and intercepted by Jaguars defensive end Josh Allen (defensive end), Josh Allen. Both the sack and interception were the first to be performed by an NFL defensive player on an opposing quarterback of the same name. After several up-and-down performances, including a Monday Night Bills loss to the 2021 New England Patriots season, New England Patriots in Week 13 where the passing game was limited by high-velocity winds, Allen helped the team overcome a 24–3 halftime deficit to the 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14, rallying Buffalo to 24 second-half points to force overtime. They would go on to lose 33–27, however. Despite the loss, Allen became just the fourth player in NFL history with over 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in a game. During a Week 16 rematch with the Patriots, Allen passed for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and ran for 65 yards as the Bills won 33–21. He also surpassed 4,000 passing yards on the season, becoming the first Bills quarterback with multiple 4,000 yard passing seasons. Against the 2021 Atlanta Falcons season, Atlanta Falcons in Week 17, Allen threw for a career-high three interceptions and had a career-low passer rating of 17, but rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as Buffalo relied on its running game to win 29–15 and clinched its fourth playoff berth in five seasons. The two rushing touchdowns gave Allen six on the year, making him the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for at least six touchdowns in his first four seasons. Allen and the Bills finished the regular season with a 27–10 victory over the New York Jets, securing the AFC East division title for a second consecutive season. He finished the game with 239 passing yards, 63 rushing yards, and two passing touchdowns. Allen finished the regular season with a career-high 409 pass completions, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 4,407 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns and a 92.2 passer rating. He also had 763 rushing yards and another six touchdowns on the ground, leading the league in yards per carry at 6.3. For his play, he was named a Pro Bowl alternate, losing out to
Lamar Jackson Lamar Demeatrice Jackson Jr. (born January 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisville, where he won the Heisman Trophy during his soph ...
for the final quarterback spot on the initial Pro Bowl roster, much to the chagrin of fans and analysts. When offered Jackson's spot after he pulled out, Allen declined the invitation.


2021–22 postseason

In the 2021–22 NFL playoffs#AFC: Buffalo Bills 47, New England Patriots 17, Wild Card Game against the 2021 New England Patriots season, Patriots, the Bills scored a touchdown on every offensive possession they had the ball aside from the final kneeldowns as they won 47–17, attaining the first "perfect offensive game" in NFL history. Allen completed 21 of 25 passes for 308 yards and five touchdowns in addition to rushing for 66 yards, passing for more touchdowns than incompletions during the game. In the Divisional Round, Buffalo rematched against the 2021 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City Chiefs, whom they previously lost to in last year's 2020–21 NFL playoffs#AFC: Kansas City Chiefs 38, Buffalo Bills 24, AFC Championship Game. During the final two minutes of the 2021 AFC Divisional playoff game (Buffalo–Kansas City), tightly contested game, Allen threw two go-ahead touchdowns to Gabe Davis as the Bills and Chiefs exchanged leads three times before Kansas City tied the game at 36 apiece and forced overtime. The Chiefs won 42–36 in the extra period after winning the coin toss and scoring on the opening drive as Allen and the Bills offense never touched the ball. Despite the loss, Allen kept pace with Chiefs quarterback
Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played co ...
, completing 27 of 37 passes for 329 yards and four touchdowns, all to Davis. He also rushed for 68 yards. His postseason passer rating of 149.0 is the highest ever in a single postseason, breaking the previous record of 146.4 held by Joe Montana in 1989 San Francisco 49ers season, 1989.


2022 season

Against the 2022 Los Angeles Rams season, Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Kickoff Game, Allen completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and rushed for 56 yards and a rushing touchdown in the 31–10 win. During Monday Night Football against the 2022 Tennessee Titans season, Tennessee Titans in Week 2, Allen completed 26 of 38 passes for 317 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions, he also rushed for 10 yards in the 41–7 win. During Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Allen finished with 400 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three fumbles (one lost). A game winning drive came off line and the Bills lost 19–21. After opening up to a 20–3 deficit against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, the Bills rallied to come back and win the game 23–20 after their defense held the Ravens scoreless in the second half and Tyler Bass kicked a walk-off field goal. Allen passed for 213 yards, one passing touchdown, one interception, and 70 rushing yards with one rushing touchdown on 11 carries. In Week 5, Allen passed for 424 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception in the 38–3 victory over the 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers season, Pittsburgh Steelers. The first of Allen's touchdowns was a 98-yard pass to Gabriel Davis toward the beginning of the game. The play tied the record for longest pass play in franchise history. In a rematch of the previous season's Divisional Round game, Allen had 329 passing yards and three touchdowns in the 24–20 come-from-behind victory over the 2022 Kansas City Chiefs season, Kansas City Chiefs. Following the Bye (sports), bye week, Allen threw for 218 yards, two touchdown passes, and two interceptions in a 27–17 victory against the 2022 Green Bay Packers season, Green Bay Packers on ''Sunday Night Football''. In Week 9 against the 2022 New York Jets season, New York Jets, Allen ran for 2 touchdowns and completed 18 passes of 34 attempts for 205 yards and two interceptions in a 17–20 defeat. In that game, Allen suffered an elbow injury similar to one suffered during his rookie season, but was able to start the next week against the 2022 Minnesota Vikings season, Minnesota Vikings, where he threw for 330 yards and a touchdown, but threw two interceptions, including the game-losing interception to Patrick Peterson in the red-zone in the 33–30 overtime loss. Partly owing to Allen's lingering elbow injury, the Bills opted to rely more on the run game in the following games against the 2022 Cleveland Browns season, Cleveland Browns, 2022 Detroit Lions season, Detroit Lions, and 2022 New England Patriots season, New England Patriots, all wins. Against Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, Allen led the Bills to a comeback win with a strong fourth quarter performance, including a touchdown to retake the lead and a 36-yard pass to Stefon Diggs that helped set up the game-winning field goal. He finished the game with 253 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and one interception while rushing for 78 yards and a rushing touchdown. During the Bills' week 15 primetime matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Allen and the Bills found themselves down 29-21 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Allen would then lead Buffalo on a 7-play drive, that included a season-long 44-yard run, and was capped off by a Dawson Knox touchdown catch and a successful two-point conversion to tie the game at 29-29. After the defense forced a Miami punt, the Bills would get the ball back at their own seven yard line with six minutes remaining. Allen would lead Buffalo on a 15-play drive that ended with a Tyler Bass game-winning field goal as time expired. Allen went 25-40 with 304 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and 77 rushing yards in the 32-29 win.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Postseason


Records and achievements


NFL records

*First quarterback to rush for at least 95 yards in three consecutive games (Week 12–14, 2018) *First quarterback with 10 passing touchdowns and 2 rushing touchdowns through three weeks (Week 1–3, 2020) *First quarterback with 375+ pass yards, 3+ pass touchdowns, 0 interceptions and a 130+ QB rating in multiple games in a single season (Week 2, 9 & 13, 2020) *Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, first 50 starts: 28 (tied with Cam Newton) *First quarterback in history with at least 100 touchdown passes and 30 rushing touchdowns in first four seasons (2021) *First quarterback to have 300 passing yards, 60 rushing yards, and five touchdowns passes in a playoff game (2022) *Highest passer rating in a single postseason: 149.0 (2022) *First quarterback in history to have at least 30 passing touchdowns, 5 rushing touchdowns and 1 touchdown reception in a season (2020) *First quarterback in history to score on every offensive possession (7 possessions and 7 touchdowns) in this same game no punts, no turnovers and no field goals occurred for the Bills which also has never happened in the NFL regular season or playoffs. (Wildcard playoff game vs Patriots, January 15, 2022) *First player in history to have three seasons with at least 25 passing touchdowns and 5 rushing touchdowns. (Achieved December 1, 2022) *First quarterback in history to have five consecutive seasons with six or more rushing touchdowns. (Achieved December 11, 2022)


Bills franchise records

* Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game: 135 * Longest touchdown pass by a rookie quarterback: 75 yards * Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season: 763 * Most total touchdowns by a rookie: 18 * Most consecutive games by a quarterback scoring at least one touchdown: 21 * Most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season: 9 (2019) * Most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single game, post-season: 92 (January 4, 2020, vs. Houston Texans) * Most consecutive games with over 300 passing yards: 3 (shared with
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
, week 1–3, 2020) * Most games with 300 passing yards and 4 TDs, single season: 4 (2020) * Most total touchdowns in a season: 46 (2020) * Most passing touchdowns, single season: 37 (2020) * Most passing yards, single season: 4,544 (2020) *First Bills quarterback with multiple 4,000 passing yard seasons (2020, 2021) * Most rushing yards by a Bills quarterback, career: 2,325 * Most rushing touchdowns by a Bills quarterback, career: 31 *Most touchdowns thrown in a single playoff game by a Bills quarterback: 5 (2022) *Longest touchdown pass by a Bills player: 98 yards (shared with Ryan Fitzpatrick, October 9, 2022, vs. Pittsburgh Steelers)


Accolades

* 10× American Football Conference, AFC Offensive Player of the Week (2018: Week 17; 2019: Week 11; 2020: Week 2, 9, 13, 15; 2021: Week 3; 2022: Week 5, 6, 15) * 87th-ranked player on NFL Top 100 (2020) * 2× AFC Offensive Player of the Month (2020: September, December) * 2× Pro Bowl (2021 Pro Bowl, 2020, 2023 Pro Bowl Games, 2022) * PFWA Most Improved Player (2020) * 10th-ranked player on NFL Top 100 (2021) * 13th-ranked player on NFL Top 100 (2022) * FedEx Air Player of the Week (2022: Week 5)


Player profile

Allen has received praise for his unique combination of size, arm strength, athleticism, mental toughness, and leadership skills, drawing comparisons to John Elway, Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, and Cam Newton. He was highly sought after in the NFL draft for his "raw potential" despite criticism of his consistency and accuracy coming out of college. Allen appeared on an episode of Sport Science (TV series), ''Sport Science'' prior to the
2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. As part of the show, Allen was equipped with sensors on his body to record his movements. In a Load to Arrival test, which measures the load time and velocity from hand separation to arrival, Allen's throwing motion takes an average of 0.38 seconds. This timing is on par with
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
and Aaron Rodgers. Allen's fingertip speed, which indicates ball speed, averages 74.3 mph. This is the fastest launch velocity Sport Science ever recorded on their show. In the movement pass test, which measures an ability to throw on the run, Allen's release speed was 58 mph. Despite criticism of his accuracy, when given one chance to hit a soccer goal crossbar from 35 yards away, Allen hit the crossbar. Allen was the only 2018 quarterback prospect tested that hit the crossbar. Brenkus later stated in an interview that Allen's college completion percentage was a misleading statistic, citing Brett Favre's 52% completion percentage in college as an example. Allen is a self-identified gunslinger, attempting and completing difficult passes but sometimes taking unnecessary risks. However, his work ethic and training under former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, current offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, and throwing coach Jordan Palmer have been cited as instrumental in his development into a more accurate and methodical passer. His Quarterback scramble, scrambling and rushing abilities have also been cited as key strengths, especially given his large size, which makes it difficult for defenders to tackle him. Despite a poor offensive line in his rookie year, Allen was able to elude and break tackles to keep plays alive or gain significant yardage on the ground, keeping an otherwise ineffective Buffalo offense moving. He has also been noted for his ability to leap over defenders, often in dramatic fashion, to keep offensive drives alive.


Personal life

Allen is in a relationship with former Fresno State Bulldogs cheerleader and current Pilates instructor Brittany Williams, with whom he grew up in central California. They first met at 8 years old before later reconnecting in high school. They have been in a relationship since 2015. In December 2017, Allen graduated from the University of Wyoming with a bachelor's degree in social science. Allen is friends with Carolina Panthers quarterback
Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...
and Houston Texans quarterback Kyle Allen (no relation); the trio often trains and vacations together in the offseason. He is a fan of adult standards and oldies music, which he says keeps him calm before games. His pregame playlist includes entries by Frank Sinatra ("That's Life (song), That's Life"), Sammy Davis Jr., Elvis Presley, Paul Anka ("Put Your Head on My Shoulder"), and Billy Joel ("The Stranger (song), The Stranger").


Golf

Allen is an avid golfer, which he says is one of his favorite activities. He declined an invitation to the 2022 Pro Bowl as an alternate to play in the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, finishing 55th out of a field of 156 pairs in a pairing with Keith Mitchell (golfer), Keith Mitchell. Allen participated in the sixth edition of ''The Match (golf), The Match'' as part of a tandem with
Patrick Mahomes Patrick Lavon Mahomes II (born September 17, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). The son of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Pat Mahomes, he initially played co ...
, against
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
and Aaron Rodgers, on June 1, 2022. They lost on a match-winning putt by Rodgers. Allen's home in Buffalo, NY has a par-3 course, a separate green with six holes, three different tee boxes, and a full swing simulator. His handicap as of 2022 is 8, and his all-time best score is 77.


Business Ventures

Allen is represented by Creative Artists Agency. From the beginning of Allen's professional career, he has been a Nike, Inc. athlete and has stated that, "It was a dream of mine to be a Nike athlete, seeing commercials of Kobe Bryant and being a West Coast kid and seeing all the deals that he had with Nike and all the shoes that he released. When I was coming out, it didn't really matter who else made offers. If another company was wanting to give me more money, it didn't matter. I was going to go Nike". Allen is one of eight NFL ambassadors for New Era Cap Company, an American headwear company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. Allen worked with New Era's creative team to design a special-edition cap released and sold in October 2019 to benefit Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo. In July 2020, Allen was announced as a shareholder in OnCore Golf, OnCore Golf Technology, Inc., a golf ball manufacturer and golf entertainment company founded and based in Buffalo, New York. Following in
Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
and Doug Flutie's footsteps, Allen partnered with PLB Sports & Entertainment and Wegmans in September 2020 to produce his own cereal, Josh's Jaqs. Like "Flutie Flakes" and "Kelly Krunch" before it, "Josh's Jaqs" featured the image of the Bills' quarterback throwing a football on a blue box that shows the red and blue, team-colored cereal Os. Proceeds from "Josh's Jaqs" went to the Oishei Children's Hospital. Allen is a fourth-generation farmer and has invested in his family's farm, the Allen Ranch, to plant and cultivate of pistachio trees over the next decade. A brand name for the pistachios is still under consideration, though Allen has joked that he could call them "Josh's Nuts".


Philanthropy

Allen is a spokesperson for the John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in Buffalo. As part of a deal with the hospital, Allen makes appearances, visits patients, and is in commercials to support fundraising efforts. During the 2019 season, Allen donated $200 to the hospital for each of his touchdowns. He scored 29 total touchdowns in the 2019 season, resulting in a total donation of $5,800 to the hospital. Allen has a personal connection to children's health because his younger brother, Jason, was hospitalized for a few days as a child with Kawasaki disease, a rare condition which inflames blood vessels. After Allen played a game following the death of his grandmother, Patricia, Bills fans gratefully donated in $17 increments (17 being Allen's jersey number) to the hospital in her memory. By the end of 2020, the total amount donated had exceeded $1 million. On November 21, 2020, Oishei Children's Hospital announced that they would be naming a new wing on the 10th floor as the "Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing" to honor the donations received by the Bills fans. Allen and his family then consulted with the hospital to establish the "Patricia Allen Fund". Prior to this, Allen considered starting a foundation but instead decided to support existing organizations, including the Fresno, California chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where his sister works in fundraising, and the Jessie Rees Foundation, which supports children fighting cancer. Allen wears a blue "NEGU" (Never Ever Give Up) bracelet from the foundation. In March 2020, Allen donated $25,000 to the Terry and Kim Pegula Western New York COVID-19 Community Response Fund. Allen also matched $10,000 in donations to Kaleida Health's COVID-19 Response Fund.


References


External links

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Buffalo Bills bioWyoming Cowboys bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Josh 1996 births Living people American Conference Pro Bowl players American football quarterbacks American people of Swedish descent Buffalo Bills players Players of American football from California Reedley Tigers football players Sportspeople from Fresno County, California Wyoming Cowboys football players