Inside Josh Allen’s absurd rushing stats: How Bills QB compares to Michael Vick, other dual-threat legends originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Bills have been anchored by Josh Allen’s dual-threat gifts for the better part of a decade. And while the standout side-winder initially came on the NFL scene because of his glittering arm, his legs have done plenty of talking for him at the professional level.
Allen isn’t quite the runner of some of his counterparts. He doesn’t carry quite the same elusiveness as others who share the position with him. However, what the 30-year-old lacks in top-tier agility, he makes up for with size and power. The Buffalo signal-caller has developed a reputation for crashing into defenders at the goal-line. More often than not, he’s the one who wins out, filing into the end zone amid a pour of bodies.
The hulking passer is perhaps at his best running the football. The NFL record books bear the scars of his willingness to tuck the ball and run. We doubt Bills fans are too displeased.
With that, here’s a look at how Allen’s rushing figures compare to some of the greatest dual-threat QBs in NFL history.
Most rushing yards by a QB in NFL history
|
Rank |
Player |
Yards |
|
1. |
Lamar Jackson |
6,666 |
|
2. |
Michael Vick |
6,109 |
|
3. |
Cam Newton |
5,631 |
|
4. |
Russell Wilson |
5,568 |
|
5. |
Randall Cunningham |
4,928 |
|
6. |
Josh Allen |
4,839 |
|
7. |
Steve Young |
4,239 |
|
8. |
Fran Tarkenton |
3,674 |
|
9. |
Jalen Hurts |
3,659 |
|
10. |
Aaron Rodgers |
3,646 |
Lamar Jackson has amassed more rushing yardage than any other quarterback in NFL history, tallying more than 6,600 yards as of Week 5 of the 2026 season. He is one of just two passers to surpass the 6,000-yard mark, preceded by former Falcons and Eagles star Michael Vick.
Allen finds himself less than 100 yards away from breaking into the list’s top-five. Assuming he maintain his rushing pace over the course of the season, the Bills star could become the fifth hurler to eclipse 5,000 rushing yards, joining Jackson, Vick, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson.
At present, it appears unlikely that Allen will track down Jackson for first-place on the list. He sits nearly 2,000 yards away from the Ravens star, having failed to produce as many rushing yards as Jackson in all but one season.
Nevertheless, he has a strong chance to climbing above the likes of Wilson, Newton and Vick before his career is through. Allen has amassed 1,634 rushing yards across his past three seasons — good for an average of about 545 yards per year. If he can maintain that level of rushing production going forward, that should put him in position to overtake Vick for second-place in by 2029.
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Most rushing TDs by a QB in NFL history
|
Rank |
Player |
TDs |
|
1. |
Josh Allen |
86 |
|
2. |
Cam Newton |
75 |
|
3. |
Jalen Hurts |
64 |
|
4. |
Steve Young |
43 |
|
5. |
Jack Kemp |
40 |
|
6. |
Steve McNair |
37 |
|
= |
Tobin Rote |
37 |
|
8. |
Lamar Jackson |
36 |
|
Aaron Rodgers |
36 |
|
|
Michael Vick |
36 |
While Allen falls comfortably short of Jackson in terms of rushing yardage, he holds a commanding lead over the Baltimore standout when it comes to getting into the end zone.
Allen is the greatest rushing touchdown scorer in league history. He doesn’t have much competition near the top, either; the Bills star sits more than 20 scores up on his closest active rival for the crown, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts.
Allen’s penchant for the QB sneak is unlike any other passer before him or since. While it’s hard to argue that he moves as fluid as the likes of Jackson or Jayden Daniels, he is effectively unstoppable when the ball is at the one-yard line. He should sit in the top-ten in rushing touchdowns full stop in due time.
Josh Allen’s rushing stats
Here’s a look at Allen’s rushing numbers since entering the league in 2018.
|
Year |
Attempts |
Yards |
TDs |
Y/A |
|
2018 |
89 |
631 |
8 |
7.1 |
|
2019 |
109 |
510 |
9 |
4.7 |
|
2020 |
102 |
421 |
8 |
4.1 |
|
2021 |
122 |
763 |
6 |
6.3 |
|
2022 |
124 |
762 |
7 |
6.1 |
|
2023 |
111 |
524 |
15 |
4.7 |
|
2024 |
102 |
531 |
12 |
5.2 |
|
2025 |
112 |
579 |
14 |
5.2 |
|
2026 |
33 |
118 |
7 |
3.6 |
|
Total |
904 |
4.839 |
86 |
5.4 |
Josh Allen’s QB rushing record pace
Allen’s proclivity for rushing touchdowns has taken on a new life in 2026. Through four games, he has seven rushing scores, the joint-highest mark in the league alongside Ravens standout Derrick Henry.
It will likely prove difficult for Allen to maintain that pace for the whole of the year. If he were to post similar metrics for the whole of the 17-game campaign, though, Allen would finish the year with 30 rushing touchdowns, two more than LaDainian Tomlinson tallied in his record-setting 2006 season.
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