Buffalo Bills superstar Josh Allen is arguably the most threatening dual-threat quarterback in the history of the National Football League. Built more like a tight end or an edge defender than he is a prototypical QB, Allen has proven to be able to run through, past, or over defenders with ease, dialing up the ground game when the Bills need it most, and mind you, he's still evolving and improving as a passer, giving him a ceiling that most quarterbacks would need a helicopter to reach.
In an NFL career that includes five AFC East division titles, two AFC Championship Game appearances and an MVP Award, the most impressive accomplishment of Josh Allen's seven-and-a-half year stint in the NFL may be the fact that in such a short amount of time, Allen has not only set the Buffalo Bills record for career rushing touchdowns, he's currently deadlocked atop the all-time list with Cam Newton for the most career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
On Thursday night, the Houston Texans defense will undoubtedly be geared up to prevent Josh Allen from moving ahead of Newton for at least one more week, and historically, despite different coaching staffs being in place in Houston, the Texans have managed to keep Allen out of the end zone as a runner in each of their four games (postseason included) against the MVP quarterback.
It's worth noting that the Texans defense has allowed 3 passing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown to Allen in those 4 games, but he still hasn't broken the plane as a runner against Houston. This speaks to the amount of success that Houston's defense has had against Allen throughout his career, holding him to a regular season passer rating of 76.9, the second-lowest of any opponent in Allen's career.
Meeting | Passing Stats | Rushing Stats | Game Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Bills at Texans, October 14, 2018 | 10-for-17, 84 yards, 71.7 passer rating | 4 rushes, 20 yards | Texans win 20-13 |
Bills at Texans, January 4, 2020 | 24-for-46, 264 yards, 69.5 passer rating | 9 rushes, 92 yards | Texans win 22-19 |
Texans at Bills, October 3, 2021 | 20-for-30, 248 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 100.4 passer rating | 6 rushes, 41 yards | Bills win 40-0 |
Bills at Texans, October 6, 2024 | 9-for-30, 131 yards, 1 TD, 56.4 passer rating | 4 rushes, 54 yards | Texans win 23-20 |
Two Texans looking to make history in Week 12
Keeping Allen out of the end zone will require a total team effort for the Texans on Thursday night, but leading the charge will be a pair of edge rushers who could make some history of their own during this primetime showdown.
First, Will Anderson Jr. could tie former 1st overall pick Mario Williams' franchise record for most consecutive games with a sack if the former 3rd overall pick gets home against the Bills on Thursday night. Honestly, it's a little surprising this record doesn't belong to J.J. Watt, but since it doesn't, it only feels right that Anderson, who seems to be on the fast track to becoming a franchise icon in his own right, holds onto the record all by himself.
Opposite Anderson is Danielle Hunter, who with 2.5 sacks would break a franchise record held by Watt and Williams for the most sacks in a three game span. Hunter had 1.5 sacks against the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, maintaining the momentum he established with a 3.5 sack performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10 that earned him the AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award.