The Buffalo Bills are back from their bye, and Week 8 brings a fresh round of record-book possibilities as Baltimore rolls into town Sunday. Josh Allen is chasing one of the franchise’s biggest passing marks, Tyler Bass can grab a Bills kicking record all for himself, and James Cook is lurking closer to his quarterback on the team’s rushing list.
Allen’s latest trip into Bills history started with an unusual throw against the Las Vegas Raiders. His backhanded shovel pass to Keon Coleman gave him his 258th career touchdown pass, postseason included, which tied him with Hall of Famer Jim Kelly for the most in franchise history.
One more touchdown pass gives Allen the record outright. Kelly still holds the regular-season mark with 237 to Allen’s 229, but when the playoffs are added in, the two are level.
Allen also has another milestone hanging out in the near future with his legs. He enters Week 8 with 4,961 regular-season rushing yards, leaving him 39 shy of 5,000 for his career. That would place him in a pretty small club of quarterbacks, including Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, who will be on the other sideline Sunday.
Bass, meanwhile, keeps kicking his way toward a line all his own. He has converted 18 straight regular-season field goals dating back to 2024, matching Rian Lindell’s franchise-best streak from 2007.
His next make would break the tie and give him the record outright. So far this season, Bass has been flawless on 13 field-goal attempts, including four against the Raiders before the bye.
Not every entry is quite as close, but a couple more names are still worth watching. Cook cut into Allen’s lead on Buffalo’s all-time rushing list by going for 95 yards against Las Vegas, while Allen managed just one.
That leaves Allen fourth in franchise history with 4,961 rushing yards and Cook fifth with 4,886, a gap of only 75 yards. For Cook to pass him against Baltimore, he’ll need to outgain Allen by at least 76 yards.
Greg Rousseau is also sitting on the edge of a move in the record book. He has 38 career sacks, including six this season, and needs just a half-sack to jump past Darryl Talley on Buffalo’s all-time list. But the last two games haven’t produced the extra takedown, and Lamar Jackson is a much tougher target than most quarterbacks when it comes to being pinned down.
Then there’s the most extreme possibility of all. Allen already owns the NFL record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback, but he’s still climbing the league’s all-time list across every position.
With 87 rushing touchdowns, he is 16th in NFL history. Eric Dickerson and Curtis Martin are tied for 14th with 90 each, so three rushing touchdowns against Baltimore would tie Allen with both Hall of Famers, and four would move him past them.
It’s a big ask, especially in this matchup, but Allen has scored three rushing touchdowns in a game before, and that alone keeps the conversation alive.
In Other News...
James Cook Faces A Huge Bills Test Against Baltimore
Buffalos ground game has been one of the biggest reasons the offense has stayed on schedule, with James Cook carrying the load and giving the Bills a steady threat between the tackles and on the edges. He has piled up 627 rushing yards and six touchdowns, production that has helped make the run game a real part of Buffalos identity rather than just a changeup.
The next test is a serious one, though, because Baltimore brings a top-10 run defense into the matchup and will force the Bills to prove their rushing attack can travel against a sturdier front. For Buffalo, that puts extra weight on Cooks role, especially with offensive coordinator Joe Brady already zeroing in on ball security as a point of emphasis. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Could Be Headed For A Maxx Crosby Deadline Debate
The trade deadline chatter around Maxx Crosby is starting to feel like the kind of conversation that could follow the Bills right up to Nov. 10. Buffalo has been mentioned alongside the Lions and Cowboys as a possible landing spot for the Raiders edge rusher, a reminder that teams looking to sharpen their defenses are keeping a close eye on the market for difference-makers, especially with the price of star defenders climbing into the multiple first-round-pick range.
For the Bills, the appeal is obvious even without the full mechanics of a deal coming into view. Crosby would fit the profile of a player who can change the tone of a defense in a hurry, and Buffalo is the sort of contender that has to at least weigh whether a swing of that size is worth it. The bigger question is whether the market gets even more complicated from here, because once a player of Crosbys stature starts drawing this much attention, the deadline can turn into a bidding war fast. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Head Into Ravens Game With Key Roles Still In Doubt
The Bills are heading into their matchup with the Ravens with a handful of important roles still unsettled after the final practice of the week. Joe Brady confirmed six players are listed as questionable, including DJ Moore and Dalton Kincaid, while the team has not officially ruled anyone out as it prepares for one of its biggest tests of the early season.
Greg Gaines was added to the injury report late after tweaking his lower body during Friday practice, adding another layer of uncertainty to Buffalos depth chart. On the back end, Damar Hamlin is set to start at safety with C.J. Gardner-Johnson serving a suspension, giving the Bills at least one clear answer as they sort through the rest of the roster before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]