Josh Allen Passes Jim Kelly for Bills Passing Touchdown Record

Josh Allen passes Jim Kelly for the Bills passing touchdown record: the Buffalo quarterback threw his 259th career touchdown pass on Sunday, November 1, 2026, an 11-yard strike to wide receiver DJ Moore against the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. The score put Buffalo ahead 29-10 in the fourth quarter and moved Allen alone past the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback who had led the franchise list since retiring after the 1996 season.

Allen entered the Week 8 game tied with Kelly at 258 career touchdown passes, counting regular-season and postseason throws. His earlier touchdown pass in the game had been called back, but this one counted, and it arrived with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter, according to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. The Bills' official highlights page likewise identifies the throw as Allen's 259th career touchdown pass and the one that moved him past Kelly.

Key Points

• Josh Allen threw his 259th career touchdown pass, an 11-yard pass to DJ Moore, against the Baltimore Ravens on November 1, 2026.
• The touchdown moved Allen past Jim Kelly's 258 and gave him sole possession of the Bills' franchise record, including postseason passes.
• Allen entered the game tied with Kelly at 258, after tying the record two weeks earlier in Buffalo's 33-30 win over Las Vegas.
• Kelly still holds the Bills' regular-season record, with 237 touchdown passes to Allen's 230 after Sunday's throw, per the Democrat and Chronicle.
• Allen reached 259 in 149 games including the playoffs, 28 fewer games than Kelly needed for 258, according to Buffalo Rumblings.

What Happened

The record throw came in a game already defined by chaos at quarterback for Baltimore. Lamar Jackson, returning after three games out, left on Baltimore's first offensive snap with a right thumb injury, and backup Tyler Huntley was also hurt, leaving third quarterback Joe Fagnano to finish the game for the Ravens. Buffalo, by contrast, kept its offence moving behind Allen, who also ran for a one-yard touchdown on the opening drive.

Allen found Moore in the back of the end zone for the milestone score. Bills Wire reported that an earlier Allen touchdown pass in the game had been called back, making the Moore connection the one that counted for history. The Democrat and Chronicle put the timing at 12:18 remaining in the fourth quarter, with the touchdown extending Buffalo's lead to 19 points, 29-10 at that moment.

ClutchPoints reported that Kelly was in attendance at Highmark Stadium to see the record fall, a fitting detail for a mark that had stood for three decades. The Bills' own highlights package labels the play plainly: "Josh Allen's 259th career TD pass sets franchise record" and notes that Allen passes Kelly for most in franchise history.

At the point the record was set, Allen's game line stood at two passing touchdowns, one interception and a rushing touchdown, with Buffalo firmly in control. The Ravens, down to their third quarterback, could not keep pace, and Buffalo's lead grew to 36-10 late in the fourth quarter.

Background/Context

Kelly's place in Bills history is secure for reasons far beyond a single number. He led Buffalo to four consecutive Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s, running the no-huddle "K-Gun" offence that defined an era, and he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2002. His 258 combined touchdown passes — 237 in the regular season and 21 in the playoffs — had stood as the franchise benchmark since his retirement following the 1996 season.

Allen's path to the record was faster. Buffalo Rumblings notes that Kelly played 177 games over 11 seasons with Buffalo, including 17 postseason appearances, while Allen entered Sunday's game having played 149 games, including 15 in the playoffs. That is 28 fewer games to reach the same total, and now to pass it.

The tie itself came in dramatic fashion two weeks earlier. In Buffalo's 33-30 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Allen threw a nine-yard touchdown pass to Khalil Shakir for No. 257, then tied Kelly at 258 with a 12-yard backhanded shovel pass to Keon Coleman while being dragged toward the turf. That play, improbable even by Allen's standards, set up Sunday's record attempt.

It is also worth keeping the two records distinct. The combined record Allen now holds counts postseason touchdowns alongside regular-season ones. On regular-season throws alone, Kelly still leads, 237 to Allen's 230 after Sunday, according to the Democrat and Chronicle. Given Allen's pace and Buffalo's remaining schedule, that regular-season mark is also within reach before the season ends, though the combined record is the one the Bills themselves highlighted on Sunday.

Josh Allen Passes Jim Kelly: What the Record Means

Passing Kelly matters because of what Kelly represents in Buffalo, not just because of the arithmetic. For a generation of Bills fans, Kelly was the franchise: the quarterback of the Super Bowl teams, the face of the K-Gun, and the standard against which every successor was measured. Allen, drafted seventh overall in 2018, arrived as a raw prospect from Wyoming and has spent nine seasons rewriting the team's record book, including the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.

The record also arrives at a useful moment for Buffalo. The Bills entered Sunday 5-1 and averaging 32.8 points per game, but with a defence that had allowed at least 29 points five times. A comfortable win over a Baltimore team reduced to its third quarterback, capped by a franchise milestone, is the kind of result that steadies a season before the stretch run.

For Allen personally, the number 259 is another line in a career that has already produced an MVP-calibre peak and a string of franchise marks. He owns the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, with 87 entering the season's later weeks, and he was closing in on 5,000 career regular-season rushing yards before Sunday's game. The passing record, though, is the one that ties him most directly to Kelly, and therefore to the franchise's most celebrated era.

None of this diminishes Kelly. If anything, the fact that the record stood for 30 years, through a long Bills quarterback carousel, underlines how hard it was to reach. Allen did it in fewer games, in a different offensive era, and with a dual-threat game Kelly never had — but he did it by standing in the same lineage, and with Kelly watching from the stands.

Reactions/Quotes

"Josh Allen's 259th career TD pass sets franchise record," the Buffalo Bills' official highlights page says of the Moore touchdown, adding that Allen "passes Bills Legend Jim Kelly for most franchise history."

Buffalo Rumblings reported: "Josh Allen has spent much of his career rewriting the Buffalo Bills' record books. On Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, he claimed another piece of franchise history, moving past Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly for the most career touchdown passes, including the postseason."

The Democrat and Chronicle reported that Allen "scored his 259th career passing touchdown to pass the legendary Jim Kelly for the most total passing touchdowns in Buffalo Bills history," on "a 11-yard pass to wide receiver DJ Moore with 12:18 left in the fourth quarter against the Baltimore Ravens."

ClutchPoints reported that Kelly "happened to be at the game on Sunday" and that Allen's "259th touchdown pass is the most in Bills history, surpassing Jim Kelly, who is at Highmark Stadium today."

Bills Wire reported that Allen "sits alone in franchise history in terms of passing touchdowns" after finding Moore "in the back of the end zone to give his team a 29-10 lead," noting that an earlier touchdown pass in the game had been called back.

Why It Matters

Franchise records of this kind are a shorthand for eras. Kelly's 258 marked the Bills of the early 1990s; Allen's 259 marks the Bills of the late 2010s and 2020s, a team built around a quarterback who can win with his arm and his legs. The record does not settle debates about which quarterback was greater — different eras, different rules, different supporting casts — but it does mark a changing of the guard in the team's own record book.

It also matters for the present. Buffalo is 6-1 after Sunday's win, in control of its division race, and heading into the second half of the season with its quarterback playing at a high level. A milestone game that doubles as a comfortable divisional-conference win is exactly the kind of performance that builds momentum, and it gives Bills fans a moment to enjoy before the harder part of the schedule.

Finally, the record is a reminder of Allen's durability and consistency. Reaching 259 touchdown passes in 149 games, including the playoffs, requires not just talent but availability, and Allen has been the constant in Buffalo's offence since 2018. The next milestone — Kelly's regular-season mark of 237 — is now only seven touchdown passes away.

What Happens Next

Buffalo will look to build on Sunday's win in the coming weeks, with Allen now chasing Kelly's regular-season record as well. Seven more regular-season touchdown passes would tie Kelly's 237; eight would pass it outright. At Allen's current pace, that could happen before the regular season ends.

Baltimore, meanwhile, faces urgent questions at quarterback. Jackson's thumb injury, suffered on the first offensive snap of his return, and Huntley's injury left the Ravens relying on Fagnano, an undrafted rookie, and the team will need clarity on both injured quarterbacks before its next game. Those updates will shape the Ravens' season as much as Sunday's result.

For Bills fans, the next home game will carry a different feeling: the record that stood for 30 years now belongs to the current quarterback, and the conversation shifts from whether Allen can catch Kelly to how far past him he can go.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many career touchdown passes does Josh Allen have now? Allen has 259 career touchdown passes, counting regular-season and postseason throws, after his 11-yard pass to DJ Moore against Baltimore on November 1, 2026.

Whose record did Josh Allen break? He passed Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, who held the Bills' franchise record with 258 combined touchdown passes since retiring after the 1996 season.

Does Jim Kelly still hold any Bills passing record? Yes — Kelly still leads on regular-season touchdown passes alone, 237 to Allen's 230 after Sunday, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

How did Allen tie Kelly's record? Two weeks earlier, in Buffalo's 33-30 win over Las Vegas, Allen threw a nine-yard touchdown to Khalil Shakir for No. 257 and a 12-yard backhanded shovel pass to Keon Coleman for No. 258.

What was the score when Allen broke the record? The Moore touchdown put Buffalo ahead 29-10 in the fourth quarter, with 12:18 remaining; Buffalo later led 36-10 late in the fourth.

Related coverage: Ravens down to third QB rookie Joe Fagnano debuts after Huntley injury.