Josh Allen is finding himself in the middle of an MVP-caliber season. In the process, the Buffalo Bills quarterback has passed some notable names in the NFL’s career record book.
Allen recently passed Hall of Fame running backs Lenny Moore, O.J. Simpson and Terrell Davis in career touchdown runs and is currently tied with Hall of Fame running back Larry Csonka for the 49th most touchdown runs in league history. Allen is set to pass another notable name in NFL history this Sunday when the Bills play host to the New England Patriots.
In that game, Allen will likely pass current Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh in career passing yards. Allen needs 191 passing yards to pass Harbaugh, who threw for 26,288 yards during his 14-year career.
The 26th overall pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, Harbaugh began his NFL career as Jim McMahon’s backup in Chicago. In his fourth season (his first as a full-time starting quarterback), Harbaugh led the Bears to the divisional round of the playoffs. He helped the Bears return to the playoffs the following year, but they were upset by the up-and-coming Dallas Cowboys in the first round.
After a few down seasons in Chicago, Harbaugh enjoyed a career resurgence with the Colts. In 1995, Harbaugh led Indianapolis to upset wins over the defending AFC champion Chargers and top-seeded Chiefs to reach the AFC Championship. Facing the heavily favored Steelers, Harbaugh gave the Colts a fourth-quarter lead on a 47-yard touchdown pass.
Trailing 20-16 late, Harbaugh nearly pulled off the unthinkable when his Hail Mary pass on the game’s final play was nearly caught. It wasn’t though, as Harbaugh and the Colts came up just short one game shy of the Super Bowl.
Harbaugh played two more years with the Colts before having stints with Baltimore and San Diego. Already an assistant coach at Western Kentucky (which started when he was still a player), Harbaugh resumed that role upon his retirement after the 2000 season. He got his first NFL coaching gig a year later with the Raiders and was on Oakland’s AFC Championship-winning coaching staff in 2002.
Harbaugh later enjoyed successful head coaching runs with Stanford, the 49ers and at his alma mater Michigan prior to joining the Chargers in 2024. His first year with the Chargers has largely been a success as Los Angeles is currently on the inside track of the AFC playoff picture.
Like Harbaugh, Allen is also in the midst of a successful campaign. Actually, successful would be a mild way to sum up the year that Allen has had so far. He’s either set or extended 14 NFL records this season, including becoming the first player to throw for 25 touchdowns and run for 10 more in consecutive seasons.
Allen’s success has led to more success for his team. With the AFC East division title already in hand, the 11-3 Bills are two games behind the Chiefs (but own the head-to-head tiebreaker) in their quest to win the conference’s top seed heading into the playoffs.
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