Josh Allen at 17 MPH: Buffalo Bills QB Sets TD Speed Record

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen was going more than 17 miles per hour when he released a TD pass on Monday night.

He led the NFL in turnovers last year. He's the early frontrunner this year as well. So why does Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen remain so compelling?

Because he's a physical specimen capable of doing things nobody else has.

Case in point: Zebra Technologies, which produces Next Gen Stats as part of a real-time locations solution it officially provides for the NFL, clocked Allen at 17.33 miles per hour when he released a 5-yard touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs against the New York Jets on Monday night.

Josh Allen & Stefon Diggs (5-yd TD)

Allen was traveling 17.33 mph when he let go of the ball, the fastest speed on a touchdown pass in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).

Allen: 30th TD on the run (8+ mph) since 2020 (most in NFL)#BUFvsNYJ | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/2SH155MMKA

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 12, 2023

Forced out of the pocket, Allen scrambled to his right and eventually began a full sprint around the corner while still looking into the end zone for an open target. Just as he reached the line of scrimmage, he found one in Diggs in the back of the end zone and released the ball.

That speed was the fastest anyone has reached on a TD pass since they started tracking this stuff in 2016, according to Zebra.

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

"Allen was 0.7 yards from the sideline when he released the ball on the pass, too," Zebra writes in its weekly newsletter. "There have been 4 total TD passes released within 1 yard of the sideline since 2016; Allen accounts for 3 of them. However, he struggled passing downfield, finishing 2/7 for 41 yards and 3 INT on passes over 15 air yards. Allen found more success underneath, going 27/32 for 195 yards with a TD and +10.5% CPOE on passes under 15 air yards."

Alas, Allen's four turnovers likely contributed more to the ultimate result -- a 22-16 loss in overtime, which he is saying is all his fault -- than anything else. He's led the league in turnovers (83) since he was drafted in 2018.