Josh Allen and Tyler Bass have Bills history within reach as Baltimore comes to town

The Buffalo Bills are back from their bye week, which means it’s time to dust off the Record Book, sharpen the pencils, and make sure the erasers haven’t gone missing during the week off. After all, there are a few names and numbers that could need some adjusting before Week 8 is over. 

Josh Allen has a chance to move past Jim Kelly in one of the franchise’s biggest statistical categories, while Tyler Bass is one successful kick away from claiming a Bills record all to himself. James Cook, meanwhile, is gaining ground on his quarterback in a different category, and that could make for some interesting bookkeeping when the Baltimore Ravens come to town Sunday. 

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Chapter 1: Sure Things 

The pencils are sharpened, but there’s nothing we’re quite ready to write in this chapter just yet. With a tough Baltimore defense coming to town, even the milestones that look close on paper aren’t guaranteed. 

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Chapter 2: A Good Bet 

There are three names on our list this week, and all three have a chance to make some changes to the Bills’ record books without needing anything particularly extraordinary to happen. Of course, having the numbers within reach and actually getting the opportunity are two different things. 

Josh Allen — One More Than Kelly 

Allen’s rather unconventional backhanded shovel pass to Keon Coleman against the Las Vegas Raiders did more than put six points on the board. It also gave him his 258th career touchdown pass, including the postseason, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the most in Bills history. 

Now, just one more touchdown pass will give Allen sole possession of the franchise record. Kelly still holds the regular-season mark with 237 touchdown passes to Allen’s 229, but when playoff performances are included, the two quarterbacks are dead even.  

Here’s hoping that we get to rewrite this entry on the Bills’ first drive of the game. 

Josh Allen — Closing in on 5,000 

Allen is approaching another major career milestone, this time with his legs. With 4,961 regular-season rushing yards, the Bills quarterback needs just 39 more to reach 5,000 for his career. 

Reaching that mark would put Allen in some pretty exclusive company, joining a short list of quarterbacks that includes Baltimore’s own Lamar Jackson, who will be on the opposite sideline Sunday. And with James Cook closing in on Allen on Buffalo’s all-time rushing list, the Bills quarterback has a little extra incentive to keep those legs moving. 

Tyler Bass — Kicking His Way Into History 

Bass has made 18 consecutive regular-season field goals dating back to 2024, matching Rian Lindell’s franchise-best streak from 2007. His next successful attempt would give him the record outright. 

Bass has been perfect on all 13 field-goal attempts this season, including four against Las Vegas before the bye. The only question now is whether Buffalo’s offense gives him an opportunity to put his name alone at the top of the list. 

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Chapter 3: Not Impossible 

The erasers might have to work a little harder in this chapter. Neither milestone is out of reach, but both will take some work, especially against a Baltimore team that has given Buffalo plenty of trouble in recent meetings. 

James Cook — Closing in on his Quarterback 

For a while, it looked like Josh Allen might be able to hold off James Cook on the Bills’ all-time rushing list. But Cook made up a lot of ground against Las Vegas, and suddenly the race for fourth place is getting interesting. 

Cook rushed for 95 yards against the Raiders, while Allen managed just one. That leaves Allen in fourth place in franchise history with 4,961 career rushing yards and Cook right behind him in fifth with 4,886. The gap is down to just 75 yards. 

For Cook to take over fourth place against Baltimore, he’ll need to outgain Allen by at least 76 yards. T That’s certainly possible, but with Allen chasing a few milestones of his own, the quarterback isn’t likely to make it easy for him. 

Greg Rousseau — Getting his hands on Lamar 

We’ve had Rousseau’s name penciled in for a couple of weeks now, but that half-sack he needs to move past Darryl Talley on Buffalo’s all-time sack list has remained elusive. 

Rousseau enters Week 8 with 38 career sacks, including six this season. That’s already just two shy of his career-best eight, but he hasn’t added to his total in either of Buffalo’s last two games. 

This week, the challenge gets a little tougher. Lamar Jackson isn’t exactly known for standing still and waiting for defenders to catch him. Rousseau has the opportunity to make another move up the franchise list, but bringing down Baltimore’s elusive quarterback might require a little more than an ordinary Sunday. 

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Chapter 4: Superhuman 

We’ve reached the part of the Record Book where the pencils are probably safe, but we’re keeping the erasers nearby anyway. After all, when Josh Allen is involved, even the most ridiculous possibilities deserve a little consideration. 

Josh Allen — Running With the Legends 

Allen already owns the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, but he’s still working his way up the all-time list that includes players at every position. 

With 87 career rushing touchdowns, Allen sits in 16th place in NFL history. Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin are tied for 14th with 90 apiece, meaning three rushing touchdowns against Baltimore would put Allen alongside both Hall of Fame running backs. Four would move him ahead of them. 

That’s a pretty tall order, especially against the Ravens. But Allen has scored three rushing touchdowns in a single game before, and we’ve learned that ruling anything out when No. 17 is on the field isn’t always the smartest move. 

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Baltimore won’t make any of these milestones easy to reach, but the Bills have never needed perfect conditions to make a little history. 

The pencils are sharpened, the erasers are ready, and the permanent ink is standing by. We’ll see which one gets the most use Sunday.