Josh Allen is quantifiably the best goal-line rusher in NFL history, at least since 1977, when play-by-play data for NFL games became available. Among 153 players who have carried from the 1- or 2-yard line at least 30 times, Allen has converted 43 of 53 carries into touchdowns, a 81.1% scoring rate. No one is within five percentage points of him, and only three players, Earl Campbell, Cam Newton and T.J. Duckett, land within 15 percentage points.
Allen has seven goal-line rushing touchdowns this season in just six games, one of the reasons the Bills are 5-1. The only quarterbacks ever to reach seven goal-line TDs over a full season are Newton, Jalen Hurts and Allen himself. He is already halfway toward the single-season short-yardage mark of 13, set by Jamaal Williams in 2022.
Coaches and teammates say the sneak plays require intricate game-planning, but a teammate told ESPN the plays work mainly because Allen is bigger and stronger than nearly any other goal-line threat. Coach Joe Brady said, "There's a lot that goes into it. Maybe sometimes too much. We just are fortunate that we have a 6-foot-4, 230 or 6-foot-5, whatever he is, guy that usually does a good job going and getting it."
Critics point to the tush push, since 22 of Allen's 43 short-yardage touchdowns came on traditional push plays. Still, Hurts, whose tush push is his signature play, converts goal-line carries at a rate nearly 20% lower than Allen, and 21 of Allen's 22 tush push scores have come since Brady arrived.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing