Lamar Jackson changed what an NFL quarterback could be with his legs. Josh Allen may be the one setting the standard for what that looks like in the record book.
The contrast between the two is clear every time they pull the ball down. Jackson has the burst and open-field speed that made him a league-shaping runner from the moment he arrived.
Allen brings a different kind of force, using size and power to run through contact and pile up short-yardage damage. Over the last several seasons, that style has held up better.
Through nine NFL seasons, the numbers show Jackson still owns the bigger yardage total, while Allen has built the more dominant touchdown profile. Jackson’s 6,666 rushing yards remain the quarterback record, and Allen is still chasing that mark with 4,961. But Allen has scored on the ground far more often, with 87 rushing touchdowns to Jackson’s 36.
Jackson’s biggest single-season rushing eruption came in 2019, when he ran for 1,206 yards, an NFL record for quarterbacks. He followed that with another massive year in 2020, finishing with 1,005 rushing yards.
Since then, the production has dipped. He hasn’t cleared 1,000 rushing yards again, and his 349 yards over 13 starts in 2025 were notably low.
In 2026, the sample is still small as he tries to return from the ankle injury that cost him three games.
Allen, by contrast, has been the steadier ground threat. He has not touched Jackson’s top-end yardage seasons, but he has been remarkably dependable.
Another 260 yards this season would give him his eighth year with at least 500 rushing yards. Even so, his career total remains well behind Jackson’s quarterback record.
The touchdown gap is where Allen really separates himself. He has rushed for at least eight scores in seven of his nine seasons, and he has never finished with fewer than five.
Jackson has never reached eight rushing touchdowns in a season; his high-water mark is seven. Allen’s 87 rushing touchdowns are the all-time record for a quarterback, ahead of Cam Newton’s 75.
Part of that difference comes down to usage. The Bills are willing to lean on Allen as a runner in short-yardage and goal-line situations, and his frame makes him a natural fit for those plays. The Ravens, meanwhile, have leaned into Jackson’s speed and playmaking, especially with Derrick Henry in the backfield.
Efficiency gives Jackson the edge, even with Allen’s volume and touchdown total. Jackson is averaging 6.1 yards per carry for his career, compared with Allen’s 5.4.
Jackson’s best seasons were blistering - 6.9 yards per rush in 2019 and 6.3 in 2020 - and he was sitting at 7.6 yards per attempt before this season’s injury, though on far fewer carries. Allen, for his part, has still stayed above five yards per carry in each of the last three seasons and matched Jackson at 5.2 in 2025.
The final picture is simple enough: Jackson has been the more explosive runner, Allen the more prolific scorer. One has the yards record. The other has the touchdowns record.
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