ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen loves retelling the story of how he screwed up on what may go down as the NFL’s signature highlight of the 2024 regular season.
“The truth is, I was dead wrong on the alert,” Allen said of his presnap call while facing fourth-and-2 from the Kansas City Chiefs’ 26-yard line with the host Bills clinging to a 23-21 lead and a little more than two minutes to play on Nov. 17 at Highmark Stadium.
“I checked into a man play, and they dropped out and played zone,” he said of the Chiefs. “So I knew our play was probably not very good, and I just tried to make a play. And that’s how it was.”
It took the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen some 14 seconds to fake a pass to his left, turn and assess the field before taking off to his right and outracing two defenders, shake off safety Nazeeh Johnson’s diving attempt to grab him by the ankles, get turned sideways by linebacker Nick Bolton, then square up to brace for a collision with safety Bryan Cook as the two tumbled into the end zone.
With CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz providing the narrative by saying, “And there it is, the play of the year,” Allen sealed a 30-21 win over the previously unbeaten Chiefs on a scramble exemplifying how much the quarterback position has evolved in the NFL, and how today’s dual threat can turn a miscue into magnificence.