Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has fallen short of his career goal to win the Super Bowl, but could be moving ever closer to an unstated accomplishment — a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Allen gave a major boost to his Hall of Fame resume when he earned league MVP in 2024, but likely has more work before wrapping up a spot. The Bills quarterback may have gotten more good news this week, with a rating placing him at the top of the list for all-time rushing efficiency.
Josh Allen’s All-Time Rushing Accolade
In an episode of “Up and Adams” this week, host Kay Adams noted that Allen is rated as the NFL’s most efficient ballcarrier of all time.
“This really puts it into perspective,” Adams said. “Josh [Allen] is the current all-time leader in rushing success rate. Meaning, nobody in the entire history of the league has picked up those key first downs or touchdowns on the ground at a higher clip than Josh. That’s ahead of Michael Vick, Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka, ahead of freaking everybody. You can’t just eliminate it out of his game, so what do you do? And I wonder, with James Cook, with the addition of DJ Moore, who Joe [Brady] loves.”
Allen has been one of the league’s top dual-threat quarterbacks since he was drafted by the Bills in 2018, averaging just under 600 rushing yards with 10 rushing touchdowns per season.
Josh Allen’s Rushing Comes at a Cost
Though Allen’s rushing ability has been a major asset to the offense, it has sometimes hurt the quarterback over the long term. Allen has suffered some injuries while rushing, including a broken hand he suffered during a rushing touchdown in Week 1 of the 2024 season that nagged him throughout the year.
Adams warned that the Bills may need to start lessening the load on Allen as he moves to the latter half of his career, keeping him fresh for the playoffs.
“Maybe they can afford to take a little bit off his legs earlier in the season and throughout the regular season,” Adams said. “Keep him a little bit fresher. Hard to do, easier said, and then like if you do that, you can let it rip more in the playoffs. Maybe that’s part of this. In a game where the smallest margins, the littlest things matter, I don’t know, I think that they might want to do that and like then let him go and fully unleash him if they want that Super Bowl.”
Bills general manager Brandon Beane and former head coach Sean McDermott have both stressed the need to cut down on the number of hits Allen takes over the course of a season, and new head coach Joe Brady reiterated the same after being promoted earlier this year.
The Bills made a big investment in their rushing game last year, giving Cook a massive contract extension and a greater share of the carries in his first season with the new deal.
Bills QB Josh Allen Gets Good Career News as Season Nears