Fans could hardly believe their eyes when Josh Allen inadvertently ended up throwing a touchdown pass to himself during Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. It wasn’t just the audience who found it surreal—even the Buffalo Bills quarterback looked genuinely stunned at the bizarre turn of events.
The sequence occurred with the Bills comfortably ahead, leading 21-3 midway through the third quarter at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Allen dropped back to pass on 1st-and-goal, aiming to connect with wide receiver Amari Cooper on a slant route. However, the pass was slightly off-target, sailing behind Cooper instead of hitting him in stride.
Despite the misfire, the play was far from over. Cooper was immediately met by a trio of San Francisco defenders, and rather than go down with the ball, he made a split-second decision to pitch the football back to Allen, who was trailing the play. In a moment of improvisation that could have gone terribly wrong—but instead produced one of the most incredible highlights of the season—Allen caught the pitch and dashed into the end zone for a touchdown.
The result? Allen was officially credited with both a passing and a receiving touchdown, an exceedingly rare occurrence in the NFL. It was a moment that seemed almost too improbable to believe, and Allen’s reaction on the sidelines proved just how unexpected it truly was.
Shortly after the play, NFL Films posted footage on X (formerly Twitter), showing Allen in conversation with his Bills teammates.
When an NFL staffer informed Allen of how the scoring for the play had been recorded, the quarterback’s expression turned to one of genuine surprise. His wide-eyed response said it all—he was just as bewildered as the rest of us.
“I’m not going to ask any questions. I love football!” Allen exclaimed, as his teammates laughed along, sharing the absurdity of the situation.
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Allen’s spontaneous receiving touchdown marked only the second such score of his career, and it wasn’t even officially listed as a targeted pass.
He finished the game with a stellar performance, completing 13 of 17 passes, including two passing touchdowns, in what became a dominant 35-10 victory for Buffalo.
The unique nature of the play—one that involved both a mishap and a perfectly executed recovery—was a testament to Allen’s versatility and Cooper’s quick thinking. It showcased why football can be so unpredictable, even for the players on the field.
Whether it was a testament to sheer luck or Allen’s athletic ability, it was undoubtedly one of those moments that will go down in highlight reels for years to come.
