This statistic refutes a popular criticism of Josh Allen

It’s hard to engage in a meaningful discourse on the current state of the NFL quarterback position without mentioning Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, because he is, by any measure, one of the best relief pitchers in the league. His cannonball right arm and elite athleticism make him a player who is nearly impossible to game plan against and even harder to stop. There’s a good reason he’s won the NFL MVP award three of the last four seasons.

While it would be totally unfair to describe Allen as a “one-man offense,” he is the engine of Buffalo’s offense, throwing for 4,830 yards and 44 touchdowns last season. More than 500 of those yards and 15 of those touchdowns came on the ground, which is not necessarily the case. new Allen rushed for 3,611 yards and 53 touchdowns in his six-year professional career. Those who question Allen’s status as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks often discredit his rushing prowess, arguing that rushing production is not a useful indicator of success for a position whose primary function is to pass the ball.

It’s an easily refutable argument: The primary goal of an offense is to move the ball and score points, and as the leader of the unit, it’s the quarterback’s job to make sure those goals are accomplished. Allen does that as well as any signal-caller in the league, exactly. how It doesn’t necessarily matter whether he moves the ball and puts it in the end zone. Yards and points count the same regardless of how they are earned.

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When confronted with this rebuttal, critics often suggest that a significant portion of Allen’s rushing output, particularly his touchdowns, comes from the goal line and, therefore, is not necessarily indicative of impressive running ability. A statistic recently shared by football statistician Warren Sharp refutes this idea, as Allen is not even among the league leaders in touchdowns scored from the one-yard line since the 2021 NFL season.

That statistic dispels the notion that Allen is simply finishing drives — and robbing other players of their potential production — by simply laying down when Buffalo reaches the goal line. While the Bills often use Allen’s legs in the red zone (he had 15 rushing touchdowns in the red zone last season), only five of his touchdowns came from the one-yard line.

The league’s leading rusher since 2021 is (perhaps unsurprisingly) Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has been the benefactor of his team’s infamous “Tush Push” in recent seasons. The playmaker tied Allen in rushing touchdowns last season with 15; Allen led the league in total scoring with 44.

This stat is a good one to keep in reserve for whenever a critic slides into your Twitter notifications, as it debunks the unfounded notion that Allen is just stealing points from his backfield. We’ll wrap up this article with a clip of the quarterback showing off just how talented a rusher he is.

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