Weaving through would-be Pittsburgh Steelers tacklers amid the wintery wonderland that was the Highmark Stadium Field, Josh Allen wouldn't be stopped short of the end zone -- or the Divisional Round.
The one-man roller coaster that is Allen provided the Buffalo Bills their biggest high on Monday as his 52-yard touchdown run was the capper of a sterling four-touchdown performance that propelled his squad past Pittsburgh, 31-17.
"They played man, didn't have a great man call on," Allen said after the game. "So, I decided to try to find a lane, got 15-20 yards downfield, there's a lot guys screaming slide. And didn't slide, and scored. It worked out that time."
In the moment, sliding didn't seem to enter Allen's mind, though it certainly did for head coach Sean McDermott and interim offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
"It's Josh," McDermott said. "I think it was even Joe on the headset going, 'Get down. Get down.' And then he goes and scores. And he's like, 'I mean, I'm gonna go score.' That's Josh doing some of what Josh is known for. It's everything in moderation."
Allen finished the cold evening with three touchdown passes, 203 yards on 21-of-30 passing, 74 rushing yards on eight carries and the aforementioned highlight-reel run. He also had zero turnovers.
"It's still surprising to me," said rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid, who caught one of Allen's TD tosses. "It's just like, how does he stay up? How does he get the extra yards? Then tonight it was how did he score that touchdown? I don't know when it will get normal, but it's cool to watch."
On third-and-8 midway through the second quarter Allen dropped back and didn't hesitate to sprint forward through a crumbling pocket. After gaining the first down, he stutter-stepped before blowing through Steelers safety Damontae Kazee before racing to pay dirt. Allen came up with a double-bicep flex as the Bills Mafia erupted in the stands with skyward snowballs to punctuate the play. He hit 19.33 mph on the run, per Next Gen Stats. It was his fastest speed this season as a ball career, enabling him to score on a play that had a 0.2% TD probably, per NGS, and was the second-longest touchdown run in NFL playoff history for a QB.
It seemed to pave the way for a blowout as the Bills led, 21-0, after his score and the subsequent extra point.
However, the Steelers fought back to make it a one-score game at 24-17.
Then Allen threw his third touchdown pass, this time to Khalil Shakir, whose run after the catch for a 17-yard score might've surpassed Allen's TD run in remarkability.
Nonetheless, it added up to a stellar four-TD night for Allen, who has the Bills onward to the Divisional Round for the fourth time in as many seasons. Allen and Co. will face the rival Chiefs, this time at home.
Whatever the outcome might be, it's likely Allen will provide more highlights and histrionics.
"I'm watching it just like, alright. OK. And then he just keeps going somehow," Kincaid said. "He's a special player. Best quarterback in the league for a reason."
