Josh Allen hurdle compilation: Every time Bills QB has posterized NFL defenders with signature move

Jacob Camenker

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Josh Allen hurdle compilation: Every time Bills QB has posterized NFL defenders with signature move image

Josh Allen has plenty of footage for his career highlight reel, but a play he made in the Bills' Week 1 win over the Cardinals is among his best.

The play occurred in the fourth quarter of Buffalo's 34-28 win over Arizona. Allen helped Buffalo mount a late touchdown drive, helping Sean McDermott's side effectively pull away from the Cards with a stellar performance both on the ground and through the air.

The signature play during that drive came on a 6-yard scamper by Allen. The quarterback looked like he was going to gain about half of that yardage at best as Budda Baker sized him up for a tackle.

Baker couldn't get the job done. Allen hurdled right over him and got to the Kansas City into the end zone.

Bills fans weren't the only ones impressed with Allen's leap of faith. So too was his teammates, including wide receiver Khalil Shakir. The diminutive pass-catcher, who reeled in an impressive touchdown grab of his own earlier in the contest, fired off a profanity-filled ballad for his longtime hurler as he strutted to the sideline.

“You can’t f— with him!” Shakir screamed. “That m— is nice!”

Allen has hurdled plenty of times during his career, both professionally and collegiately, as his father Joel Allen once noted. Not only is the move effective. It also reaffirms Allen's commitment to the team and its goals.

“It sends a clear message to your teammates that 'I’m gonna win it, no matter the cost it takes,'" Joel Allen said.

Indeed, Allen has sent that message often enough, and a lot with the Bills over the last few years. Below is a full run-down of Allen's notable hurdles dating back to the start of his college career.

Josh Allen hurdle compilation

2014 with Reedley College

Allen was always a good athlete, even during his high school days. He was a multi-sport athlete growing up near Fresno, California, but eventually wanted to play football at the college level. He didn't get any FBS offers, so he opted to go to a nearby community college, Reedley College, for a semester.

There, Allen was a star, and he first showed off some of his hurdling skills in a game during the 2014 season. He got way up in the air on the play and sailed over the defender with ease en route to a big gain.

Sept. 23, 2016 vs. Eastern Michigan

Allen's performance at Reedley didn't put him on the map nationally, but it did earn him a scholarship offer from Wyoming. He jumped at it and eventually became the Cowboys' starting quarterback.

While at Wyoming, Allen developed considerably as a prospect thanks to his athletic ability. He frequently showed off his arm strength but also his mobility. That led to him having the occasional hurdle attempt, and he executed a pretty one in a 27-24 loss to Eastern Michigan.

Allen attempted to get to the end zone on the play and seemed to hang in the air after effortlessly jumping way over the Eastern Michigan defender. He reached out for the goal-line but wasn't quite able to get in, though the initial ruling was that he had broken the plane.

Sept. 23, 2018 at Vikings

Allen continued to prove that his athletic ability was elite at every level, not just the college ranks.

In his first NFL road start against the Vikings, Allen helped lead the Bills to a monumental 27-6 victory over a heavily favored Minnesota squad. He helped the team jump out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and showed off his scrambling ability on a couple of carries.

One of them came on a third-and-10. Allen was able to find an open lane in Minnesota's pass rush and gathered a head of steam as he approached a couple of unguarded Vikings tacklers. However, instead of trying to truck through them, Allen opted to go over the defender.

It worked to perfection, and he was able to tally a first down.

MORE: Meet Brittany Williams, Josh Allen's long-time girlfriend

Oct. 10, 2021 at Chiefs

Allen started to hurdle with a bit more frequency beginning in the 2021 campaign when the Bills notched an impressive 38-20 win over the Chiefs.

The Bills were nursing an 11-point fourth-quarter lead and faced a third-and-4 when Allen decided to put his legs to good use again. He made the early decision to run on a bootleg-style play, but defensive back L'Jarius Sneed read it well. He came off the running back he was covering and looked like he was going to get a shot at Allen ahead of the first-down marker.

Instead, Sneed fell victim to Allen's latest, greatest hurdle. 

That hurdle may be the smoothest-looking one of Allen's NFL career given the ease with which he got over Sneed. It proved critical in the contest, too, as getting the first down allowed the Bills to run more time off the clock.

Dec. 26, 2021 at Patriots

Allen's hurdle against the Patriots in 2021 was a bit more understated, but he still managed to clear Devin McCourty at the end of a long scramble.

Allen didn't get big air on this one, but he didn't need to. More importantly, he kept his momentum going and was able to tack on an extra five yards to the play.

It once again looked like Allen was able to momentarily float as he fought for yardage. That scramble set up a field goal that gave the Bills a 10-7 lead during the game, which helped to decide first place in the AFC East.

MORE: Kareem Hunt among top targets for the Bills ahead of the 2022 NFL trade deadline

Sept. 19, 2022 vs. Titans

Allen and the Bills were able to blow out the Titans, who had been the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2021, 41-7 on "Monday Night Football" in Week 2.

Fans got a pretty good idea of where things were heading in the first quarter, when Allen was able to keep the chains moving with another hurdle.

Oct. 18, 2022 at Chiefs

In Week 6, the Bills got their second consecutive regular-season win against the Chiefs, 24-20. It was a big victory for them, however, as they had fallen at Kansas City's hands in the postseason, 42-36.

Allen helped to lead a game-winning drive for the Bills in the fourth quarter. He made several brilliant plays through the air during it, but it was his hurdle over Justin Reid that drew the attention of many.

In fact, Allen's hurdle was so good that Buffalo actually decided to rename "Hertel Ave" to "Hurdle Ave" temporarily in his honor.

Sept. 8, 2024 vs. Cardinals

Allen kicked off the 2024 season with a bang, going airborne to slip beyond Baker and into the end zone for his fourth score of the game.

Allen's final touchdown of the day was his most eye-catching, seeing him race beyond detection before coming face-to-face with Baker, a human freight train with two All-Pro nods to his name. Baker ended the day with 10 tackles. His search for an 11th came up short, with the hulking hitter whiffing as he approached 6-5, 237-pound Allen.

“It was funny,” Bills defensive end A.J. Espenesa said postgame. “You see Austin Johnson was over by me, and he just was like in disbelief. I was like, ‘No, that’s our Josh! That’s what he does, man, that’s what he does every game.’ It’s just, to me, no surprise, but to have that energy and have our quarterback doing s— like that, it’s awesome to see.”

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.