The Buffalo Bills were eliminated from the divisional race with Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, giving quarterback Josh Allen and some other ailing stars the chance to rest in the season finale.
But Allen could have an important reason to suit up in the team’s Week 18 matchup against the New York Jets, needing just one touchdown to reach a historic milestone. The Bills quarterback has a chance to tie the all-time record for total seasons with 40 or more touchdowns, though reaching the record could involve a measure of risk for Allen and the Bills.
Josh Allen One Touchdown Away From 40
Allen notched two rushing touchdowns in the team’s 13-12 loss to the Eagles on Sunday, leaving him at 39 total touchdowns for the season. Allen reached that milestone in every season since 2020, needing just one more to tie future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers for the NFL record for most 40-touchdown seasons.
Allen has already set the NFL record for consecutive 40-touchdown seasons in 2023, beating Drew Brees who strung together three seasons in a row.
As SI.com’s Colin Richey noted, Allen is in historic company with his gaudy touchdown total.
“In addition to Rodgers, Allen, and Brees, the only other QBs to reach this threshold multiple times in their career include Tom Brady four times, Patrick Mahomes three times,” Richey wrote. “Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson, Daunte Culpepper, Brett Favre, and Steve Young all achieved it twice.”
Bills Could Opt to Rest Josh Allen
There is no guarantee that Allen will have the chance to reach 40 touchdowns this season. The team has been racked by injuries and has little to play for against the New York Jets other than playoff seeding.
Allen has been playing hurt since the team’s Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns, nursing a foot injury that had him limping at times during the second half of Sunday’s game. Reporter Matt Bove noted on X that Allen had to go to the X-ray room after the game, but the imaging came back negative.
âJosh Allen just came out of the x-ray room after being evaluated for a few minutes,â Bove wrote. âHe walked out WITHOUT any protection on his foot and was just wearing socks. He told us after the game (before he was looked at) he was fine and his foot injury didnât impact him.â
Allen could be motivated by the bitter ending to last week’s loss, when he missed an open Khalil Shakir for what would have been the game-winning two-point conversion in the final seconds.
After the game, the Bills quarterback placed blame on himself for the loss.
âIt just comes down to us executing, making one more play than they did. And obviously we saw that we didnât make that last play,â Allen said, via The Associated Press. âI didnât make that last play.â
Allen is considered healthy enough to play and will almost certainly reach another important milestone. The Bills quarterback holds the streak for consecutive starts among quarterbacks and made sure to start last year’s meaningless season finale, taking one snap before leaving the game and being replaced by backup Mitch Trubisky.
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