Look away, cringe or even criticize his turnovers. Just don’t accuse the Bills’ Josh Allen of a lack of production. Allen isn’t only the game’s toughest quarterback, he’s also a touchdown machine.
Allen produced four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) to lead Buffalo back from a 17-3 deficit and dispatch Arizona, 36-28, on Sunday. His final score, a 6-yard run early in the fourth quarter, gave Buffalo a 31-20 advantage and gave Cardinals safety Budda Baker a neckache.
Following a pair of moves to juke Cardinals defenders, Allen cleared Baker like an Olympic hurdler. Asked why he left his feet, Allen said he made the call when he saw Baker in his path.
“Just kind of, again, split-second situations,” said Allen, courtesy of Matt Parrino from NewYorkUpstate.com. “The first rushing touchdown, I kind of lowered the shoulder, knowing that was a corner. Second time, I knew it was Budda, and Budda’s a good player, and he’ll lay the boom on you. So I decided to go up and over, but probably can’t make a living doing that, but here we are.”
The Bills need to make their living this week in only three days. That’s when they kick off Week 2 at Miami in a rematch of the showdown that decided the 2023 AFC East title Jan. 7, a 21-14 Bills victory. The teams kick off Week 2 in the season premiere of Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
Allen injured his left (non-throwing) hand on the last touchdown, received treatment on the sidelines, and returned to lead the team’s final two scoring drives, insurance field goals to keep Arizona at bay. He said after the game he was fine, although the team hasn’t announced results of his X-rays.
Sunday marked Allen’s fourth career game with at least two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. That’s tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young (four) for the most such games in NFL history. Plus, Allen has 10 career games with at least two rushing touchdowns and joined Jalen Hurts (12) and Cam Newton (10) as the only quarterbacks all-time with at least 10 such career games.