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A.J. McCarron may be taking notes from former teammate Josh Allen.
A little more than a year after Allen led the Buffalo Bills to a perfect offensive game in a playoff win over the New England Patriots, his onetime competitor had a nearly perfect one in the XFL. McCarron set a league record with six touchdowns and 420 passing yards in the April 22 season finale for the St. Louis Battlehawks, capping off an unlikely comeback after his NFL career had fizzled.
Former Bills Quarterback Sets XFL Record
As Al.com reported, McCarron established league records for touchdown passes and passing yards in a game, leading his team to touchdowns on six of the team’s eight offensive drives in the 53-28 win over the Orlando Guardians. McCarron nearly reached Allen’s mark of leading the Bills to touchdowns in all seven offensive drives in the 2021 Wild Card round win over the Patriots.
McCarron had a sparkling line in Saturday’s win, completing 28 of 35 passes for 420 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions. He also completed four 2-point conversion passes.
Best known for becoming the first college quarterback to win consecutive BCS National Championship Games, the former Alabama signal caller had a spotty NFL career that was marked by injuries and inconsistency.
McCarron had a short stint with the Bills, joining the team in the 2018 offseason and competing with Allen and Nathan Peterman for the starting job. The Bills ultimately picked Peterman as the starter, trading McCarron to the then-Oakland Raiders. Peterman would hold the job for only one game before being benched in favor of the rookie Allen.
McCarron hung around in the NFL for three more seasons, appearing in six games and starting one, but suffered a torn ACL in the 2021 preseason. The former Alabama quarterback told Al.com that he didn’t want to end his football career, and decided to join the XFL for the chance to be a starter again.
A.J. McCarron Makes Strong Statement on Football Future
Speaking to reporters on the eve of Saturday’s season finale, McCarron said he came into this XFL season with a goal of showing his young boys that he had what it takes to be a starting quarterback.
McCarron more than proved himself, leading the league in touchdown passes and earning some buzz about a potential return to the NFL. McCarron said he wants to keep playing after this season, though didn’t know exactly where that would be.
“I’m not done playing,” McCarron said, via Al.com. “I think I’ve shown that I can play at a high level and play on a consistent level, too. It’s been awesome to have my kids be a part of this. I don’t know what the future holds. After the season’s over, we’ll sit down as a family and with my agent and see teams he’s talked to in the (NFL) or what they’re saying, and if the situation’s right for me, we’ll decide that then, and if not, we’ll talk and figure out what’s best for us as a family and then go forward from there.”
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