Josh Allen and Jameis Winston gave standout performances in prime-time games that showcase their unique playing styles.
Allen used his athleticism, creativity, and a quirky NFL stat rule to become the first quarterback in history to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game. This happened during Buffalo’s win over San Francisco.
Winston displayed his ability for big plays and costly mistakes when he became the first player ever to throw for at least 400 yards, four touchdowns, and two pick-6s in the same game, which resulted in a loss for Cleveland at Denver.
It was a weekend full of unique accomplishments for these two quarterbacks.
The action began on Sunday night when Allen took advantage of an unusual NFL stat rule to achieve something no quarterback had done before. He threw a short pass to Amari Cooper, who was immediately tackled by two defenders.
Allen quickly ran toward Cooper and signaled for the ball. Cooper then pitched it back to Allen, who sprinted and dove in for a 7-yard touchdown. This play led to an unusual stat result where Cooper was credited with a -2 yard reception, and Allen was credited with 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 without having a catch. Jahmyr Gibbs of Detroit had a similar play in Week 3 against Arizona. Only one other player in the Super Bowl era did this—Allen Rice for Minnesota in 1984 against Denver.
In NFL history, only three other players have been credited with a receiving touchdown on a pass they threw. The most recent was Marcus Mariota in the 2017 wild-card game for Tennessee against Kansas City when he caught his own deflected pass. Brad Johnson did the same for Minnesota in 1997 against Carolina, and Frank Ryan for the Rams in 1960 against Detroit.
There was one more instance where a player scored a touchdown after his own pass, according to Sportradar. Roy Zimmerman did it for the Eagles against the Giants in 1944, following a lateral. But before 1950, Zimmerman was only credited with a lateral touchdown.
Later in the game, Allen ran for a touchdown, becoming the seventh player in the Super Bowl era and the first quarterback ever to record a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game.
Winston, known for his high-risk, high-reward style of play, had a performance that reflected his career’s ups and downs. In 2019, he made history by throwing 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions, creating his own “30-30 club.”
In his game against Denver, Winston threw for 497 yards, four touchdowns, three interceptions, and two pick-6s. He became the first player ever to throw for at least 400 yards, four touchdowns, and two pick-6s in a single game.
The Broncos gained 171 yards on interception returns, while the 668 combined yards on Winston’s passes set an NFL record, surpassing the previous record of 664 yards set by Vinny Testaverde for the Jets against Baltimore in 2000, according to OptaStats.
