Josh Allen did not need a hero moment on Sunday. He made one anyway. With Jim Kelly watching from the stands at Highmark Stadium, the Buffalo Bills quarterback found D.J. Moore in the fourth quarter and passed the franchise icon as the team’s all-time touchdown passer. The Buffalo Bills then rolled past the Baltimore Ravens 36-10 to improve to 6-1. It was a night of noise, nostalgia and a touch of ache. Here is how the record fell, what it says about two very different eras, and which mark Josh Allen can chase next.
How Josh Allen Broke The Jim Kelly Touchdown Record
The countdown started two weeks earlier. Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Allen faced third-and-eight at the 12-yard line with defenders closing in. He escaped the pocket and flipped a backhanded shovel to Keon Coleman for a touchdown. That play tied Kelly at 258.
Against the Baltimore Ravens, the wait lasted barely three quarters. With 12:18 left in the fourth, Allen hit D.J. Moore for number 259, regular season and playoffs combined. Allen finished 21-of-34 for 289 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. James Cook added 80 rushing yards and a score on 21 carries, while Jim Leonhard’s defense held Baltimore under 150 yards. The Ravens even used three quarterbacks, and Lamar Jackson threw just one pass.
Afterward, Allen spoke about the bigger picture:
“God placed me here for a reason, and I’m gonna continue to trust his plan.” Josh Allen on passing Jim Kelly for the most career passing touchdowns in #Bills history. #BillsMafia https://t.co/cFqwBbBIE4
— Ian Mills (@IanMillsTV) November 1, 2026
“That’s the goal, right, to go out there and be the best quarterback that you can be, to play good football, and we’ve done that for quite some time now. To break the records, it’s cool, but I understand, it’s not just me, right, there’s a lot of guys that have put a lot of work into this that have helped me get to this spot right here. I don’t take that for granted, to be the quarterback of the Buffalo Bills…God’s placed me here for a reason, I continue to trust his plan.”
What Jim Kelly And Jill Kelly Felt, And Which Record Josh Allen Chases Next
Jill Kelly shared her feelings on Instagram with a clip from the stadium. She wrote, “When Josh breaks Jim’s record! Bittersweet.”
That word fits. Jim Kelly led Buffalo to four straight Super Bowls from 1990 through 1993, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame welcomed him in 2002. Allen arrived as the seventh overall pick in 2018, then grew into an MVP in 2024.
The numbers hide a neat detail. Kelly owns the regular-season mark with 237 touchdown passes, while Allen sits at 230. That means Allen needs eight more to pass him, and the Bills still have 10 games left. By my math, Allen’s playoff work also stands out. His 29 postseason touchdown passes are eight more than Kelly’s 21.
The record is the easy part. The harder one is ending a Super Bowl drought that dates back to Kelly’s last run in the early 1990s. With Joe Brady’s team looking sharp, Buffalo fans have every reason to dream.
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