Ken Stabler played in an era in which defensive backs were allowed to wear Stick 'Em on their hands. Troy Aikman's entire body was exposed as a legal target zone for tacklers. Terry Bradshaw never took off on a scramble with the luxury of the "safe slide" rule.
Nonetheless, Buffalo BIlls' Josh Allen is putting the starts to their Hall-of-Fame careers to shame.
Allen, who enters the Bills' Thursday night game at the Houston Texans needing one rushing touchdown to pass Cam Newtown for the NFL's all-time record for a quarterback, played his 121st regular-season game last weekend. And boy did he put on a show in the rout of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, producing three touchdowns running and another three passing.
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Because of rules changes that now drastically favoring offenses in general and quarterbacks in particular — think slide, no hits to the head or legs, etc. — it's difficult to compare eras. But by any metric, Allen's career is off to a Hall-of-Fame start that is trending toward Canton.
Josh Allen played his 121st game on Sunday versus Tampa Bay.
Here’s how he stacks up against Hall of Fame quarterbacks and soon to be HOF QB’s since the 1970 merger in their first 121 games.
Rankings are in parentheses.
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Compared to a group of current or soon-to-be HOF QBs, Allen's first 121 games rank in the Top 6 even up against the starts of 15 legendary players such as Jim Kelly, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Stabler, Aikman and Bradshaw.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In his first 121 games, Allen ranks ...
Total yards. Total touchdowns. Rushing yards. Rushing touchdowns.
Wins. Interceptions.
Passing touchdowns.
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Passing yards.
Given his rare combination of size, strength, athleticism and rocket arm, Allen's career is headed to the Hall of Fame even if his Bills haven't yet played in a Super Bowl.
Josh Allen
Josh Allen / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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