Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen bullied his way into the NFL history books on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With the Bills facing a third-and-goal early in the fourth quarter, Allen took a designed run and fought his way through the Steelers defense, scoring as his teammates helped push him over the goal line.
The team announced that Allen’s touchdown helped put him atop the record books.
Josh Allen Tops Cam Newton in NFL Record Books
Shortly after the touchdown, which extended Buffalo’s lead to 23-7, the Bills announced that Allen set a historic mark for rushing quarterbacks.
“Josh Allen has tallied his 76th career rushing touchdown, surpassing Cam Newton for the most rushing TDs all-time by a QB (regular season),” the team announced in a post on X.
Allen’s rushing touchdown came amid a dominant game for Buffalo’s rushing attack. Though the team came into the game without both starting tackles — with right tackle Spencer Brown out with a shoulder injury and left tackle Dion Dawkins in concussion protocol — the Bills topped 200 rushing yards late in the third quarter.
The Bills later set the record for total rushing yards for a Steelers opponent at home.
Allen already set another record this season when he ran for three touchdowns and threw for another three in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a November win. Several other NFL quarterbacks have matched that record, including Allen himself in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams last season.
Allen also became the first player in league history to have 35 or more total touchdowns in four consecutive seasons. He set some franchise records as well, making the all-time mark for total touchdowns in Bills’ history.
Josh Allen Gets Chippy Against Aggressive Defense
The Bills and Steelers had a chippy game on Sunday, with several penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness. As SI.com’s Randy Gurzi noted, referees appeared to ignore a late hit on Allen from Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, who hit the Bills quarterback after he had started a sliding motion.
“This wasn’t the first sign of things being contentious in this game,” Gurzi wrote. “On another Allen run earlier on this same drive, Steelers’ defensive lineman Cam Heyward took exception to something that happened (or perhaps was said) in the pile.
“He got up quickly and got into the face of Allen, who didn’t back down. The two went back and forth for a few seconds before being broken up.”
The game was also a physical affair. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was knocked out of the game briefly at the start of the second half after taking a hard hit from Joey Bosa and fumbling. Bills cornerback Christian Benford recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown, while Rodgers was sent to the medical evaluation booth with a bloody face.
The Steelers inserted backup Mason Rudolph for the next drive, who threw an interception to Benford. The Bills had come into the second half trailing 7-3, but quickly took a 16-7 lead.
Bills QB Josh Allen Makes NFL History Against Steelers