Josh Allen has spent much of his career rewriting the Buffalo Bills’ record books. On Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, he claimed another piece of franchise history, moving past Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for the most career touchdown passes, including the postseason.
Allen entered the game tied with
Kelly at 258 touchdown passes. His 11-yard touchdown pass to DJ Moore in the fourth quarterback gave him No. 259, putting him alone at the top of a list that Kelly had led since his retirement following the 1996 season.
Just two weeks earlier, Allen had pulled even with Kelly during Buffalo’s 33-30 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. A nine-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Khalil Shakir brought him within one of the record before a 12-yard backhanded shovel pass to wide receiver Keon Coleman tied the two quarterbacks at 258.
The record includes both regular-season and postseason touchdowns, a distinction that matters when comparing the two quarterbacks. Kelly still holds Buffalo’s regular-season record with 237 touchdown passes, while Allen entered Sunday’s game with 229.
Allen has reached the combined mark considerably faster than his predecessor. Kelly played 177 games over 11 seasons with Buffalo, including 17 postseason appearances. Allen entered the Ravens game having played 149 games, including 15 in the playoffs, putting him 28 games behind Kelly when he matched the Hall of Famer’s total.
With half a season still on the calendar, and Allen just needing just eight touchdowns to move his name onto the top line under the title “Franchise leader for regular season touchdown passes,” the watch for Allen to take another category is on.
