ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — A gangly, athletic and very unproven Josh Allen was but a mere NFL curiosity three weeks into his rookie season when the Bills quarterback thrust himself into the national conversation with an unforgettable leap.
Upon bursting out of the pocket, and with Anthony Barr in prime position to stuff him, Allen hurdled the Vikings linebacker on a 10-yard run for a first down at midfield. The Bills went on to beat Minnesota 27-6 in Allen’s
second career NFL start and first win in which the quarterback provided a glimpse of his rugged and innovative playmaking abilities.
“Honestly, it surprised me, too,” Allen said, reflecting on the hurdle this week as the Bills travel to play Minnesota in a “Monday Night Football” showdown of 6-1 teams.
“I know I still run a little bit now. But that was, I think, a moment that was like, ‘You know what? I do belong here.’”
Some eight years, 102 wins (including playoffs), a 2024 NFL MVP season, and countless highlights later, the 30-year-old Allen is counted among the league’s elites, and the unquestioned leader of a Bills team once again entertaining Super Bowl aspirations.
Awards and records, however, weren't a sure thing in Allen's future when the Bills traded up five spots in the 2018 draft to select him at No. 7 out of Wyoming.
Though athletic, he was knocked for accuracy issues and small-school pedigree, especially after opening his career at California’s Reedley junior college.
Whatever knocks and doubts that hovered over Allen weren’t shared by at least one of his teammates.
Retired running back LeSean McCoy recalled how he began referring to Allen as “franchise” months after the quarterback’s arrival in Buffalo, and cited two memories to validate his belief.
The first happened in training camp, when Allen got in the face of a veteran defender for what he believed was a late hit. The other was an injured McCoy watching from the sideline at the sight of Allen hurdling Barr.
“I’ve hurdled guys before, but I don’t have the vertical Josh Allen has,” McCoy told The Associated Press by phone. “He wasn’t nervous, wasn’t scared, making plays, competing. He was running them guys over, running past them, throwing darts. And I was like, ‘Damn, this dude is different.’”
Left tackle Dion Dawkins had the same impression, by saying the play foreshadowed Allen's eventual stardom.
“You knew the kid was special. But you can never tell — like we’ve seen guys do special (stuff) all the time,” Dawkins said. “The fact that he’s consistently done special (stuff) over and over, it’s fire.”
General manager Brandon Beane recalled his nerves of watching Allen fly over Barr turn to excitement as the quarterback got up and rejoined the huddle.
“To see it at this level was pretty cool in how he's matching up against the elites,” Beane said. “You knew there was still a lot of work to be done, but it was refreshing. I'll never forget giving him a hug in the locker room.”
Allen’s rookie season was filled with inconsistencies, as he finished 5-6 while missing four games with a sprained throwing elbow — the only time he’s been sidelined.
What’s followed is a remarkable run of excellence in which Allen’s never lost more than two consecutive regular-season starts, set virtually every franchise record for passing and scoring, and led Buffalo to seven straight playoff berths — with the only blemish failing to make a Super Bowl appearance.
Barr discussed Allen’s hurdle in-depth upon launching his “Bent Out of Shape” podcast with former Vikings teammate Eric Kendricks this summer.
“He hurdled me like I was a child. He flew through the air Jordan-esque, and I didn’t even go low which is the crazy part,” Barr said.
“I will say I’m happy that it was Josh Allen that did it. If it was a ‘Joe Schmo,’ I couldn’t live with that,” the four-time Pro Bowler added with a laugh. “But it was a future NFL MVP. If that’s going to be replayed forever, I can live with that.”
Barr was the first but not only player Allen has hurdled in an outing. He's also done so against then-Chiefs defensive backs Justin Reid and L’Jarius Sneed, and New England’s Devin McCourty.
Allen chuckled in saying he’s since revisited the play with Barr.
“He came up to me and was like, ‘If you ever do that again, we’re going to have some problems.’ And luckily, I never did it again,” Allen said. “But he was a heck of a player. And he was in a good spot. He didn’t go low. It was just one of those things where I went higher.”
He's been soaring ever since.
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