Since Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season, the Buffalo Bills have waited nearly 25 years to find their next franchise quarterback. After years of searching, the Bills appear to have finally found Kelly’s successor in third-year starter Josh Allen, who just passed Kelly for most passing touchdowns in a single season.
Allen, who already was just the second quarterback in team history to pass for at least 30 touchdowns in a season, threw for four touchdowns (so far) vs the New England Patriots, raising his single-season passing touchdown total to 34.
Allen passed Kelly’s previous record of 33, set during the 1991 season, when the Bills qualified for their second straight Super Bowl appearance. Kelly’s mark stood for nearly 29 seasons.
Allen, who was drafted with the No. 7 selection out of Wyoming in the 2018 NFL Draft, holds the distinction as the earliest-drafted quarterback in Buffalo’s history. He already owns the franchise records for touchdowns scored in a single season.
Allen is on pace to shatter Buffalo’s single-season records for passing yards (if he plays in Week 17), completion percentage, quarterback rating and passer rating for a Bills squad that clinched their first AFC East title since 1995 while qualifying for the playoffs for the third time in the last four years.