Josh Allen’s creativity and Jameis Winston’s risk-taking produce statistical firsts in the NFL

By Josh Dubow

Josh Allen and Jameis Winston delivered signature performances in prime time that define their styles of play.

Allen used his athleticism, creativity and a statistical quirk to become the first quarterback ever credited with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game in Buffalo’s win over San Francisco.

Winston showed off his propensity for big plays — and big blunders — when he became the first player ever to throw for at least 400 yards, four touchdowns and two pick-6s in the same game in a loss for Cleveland at Denver.

It was a weekend of firsts for the two quarterbacks.

It started on Sunday night when Allen took advantage of a peculiar rule of NFL stat-keeping to do something no quarterback had ever done. He threw a short pass to Amari Cooper, who was immediately wrapped up by two defenders.

Allen alertly ran toward Cooper and signaled for the ball and Cooper obliged with a pitch. Allen then sprinted and dove in for a 7-yard touchdown on a pass he threw. That’s where the odd scoring comes in, with Cooper getting credit for a catch for minus-2 yards and Allen getting credit for 9 yards receiving, a receiving touchdown but no actual reception and a 7-yard TD pass.

Allen became the second player this season to get credit for a receiving touchdown but no catch in a game, with Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs doing it following a lateral against Arizona in Week 3. It has happened only one other time in the Super Bowl era, with Allen Rice doing it in 1984 for Minnesota against Denver.

Only three other players in NFL history got credit for a receiving touchdown on a pass they threw. with Marcus Mariota the most recent in the 2017 wild-card game for Tennessee against Kansas City when he caught his own deflected pass.

Brad Johnson also scored when he caught his own deflected pass for Minnesota against Carolina in 1997, and Frank Ryan scored on a lateral for the Rams against Detroit in 1960.

There was one other play where a player scored a TD following his own pass, according to Sportradar, with Roy Zimmerman doing it for the Eagles against the Giants in 1944 following a lateral. But under rules before 1950, Zimmerman was credited solely with a lateral touchdown.

Allen later ran for a touchdown, becoming the seventh player in the Super Bowl era and first quarterback ever to get a passing, rushing and receiving TD in the same game.

Winston, who created his own 30-30 club when he threw 33 TDs and 30 interceptions in 2019, had the kind of performance that has defined his high-risk, high-reward career.

He threw for 497 yards with four TDs, three interceptions and two pick-6s. Winston became the first player in NFL history to throw for at least 400 yards and four TDs with two pick-6s.

The Broncos had 171 yards on interception returns with the 668 yards combined on Winston’s passes setting an NFL record, according to OptaStats, topping the 664 by Vinny Testaverde for the Jets against Baltimore in 2000.