Bills losing AFC East puts damper on Josh Allen reaching feat

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Bills losing AFC East puts damper on Josh Allen reaching another remarkable feat

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Dec 29, 2025 8:52 AM ET

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen accomplished another remarkable feat on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On a two-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter, Allen became the youngest and fastest player to reach 300 total touchdowns (220 passing, 79 rushing and two receiving) in NFL history. The QB reached the mark in 127 games and at 29 years, 221 days old. Earlier this season, the Bills star set the record for career rushing TDs by a QB.

That won't be the game's main storyline. Instead, the biggest talking point will be whether the Bills should've gone for two late in the fourth quarter when trailing 13-12 and how it may have cost the team the AFC East.

How two-point conversion cost Bills AFC East

After Allen plowed in for a one-yard touchdown with five seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Bills went for two instead of kicking the extra point. Buffalo kicker Michael Badgley had his extra point blocked earlier in the fourth quarter, contributing to the team's decision. On the two-point conversion, the QB rolled to his right but missed wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

BILLS GO FOR TWO! EAGLES SAY NO! pic.twitter.com/SA2z2TzA0D
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2025

Josh Allen becomes the youngest in age and fastest in
games played to hit 300 career TDs all-time @BuffaloBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/Ne6qBzLJDA
— NFL+ (@NFLPlus) December 29, 2025

The incompletion sealed the 13-12 win for Philadelphia. Allen completed 23-of-35 passes for 262 yards. He also had seven carries for 27 yards and two TDs.

With Buffalo's loss, the New England Patriots (13-3) have secured the AFC East for the first time since the 2019 season. That was former QB Tom Brady's last season with the club. It ends the Bills' run of five straight division titles.

New England can still clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC if the Denver Broncos (13-3) lose their home game to the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) in Week 18. Buffalo (11-5), meanwhile, has already secured a playoff berth but will be a wild-card team. If the postseason started Sunday, the Bills would own the No. 7 seed in the AFC and face the Patriots in the first round.

This complicates the team's path to a Super Bowl. Few teams would've benefited more from home-field advantage than the Bills. Buffalo has a 6-2 home record this season, tied for the fifth-best in the NFL.

Allen is chasing his first Lombardi Trophy. Winning one would only bolster his résumé, which already looks Hall-of-Fame worthy.

In eight seasons with Buffalo, 2018 first-round pick Allen has never reached the big game. Now that the Bills may face a challenging road in the postseason, the 2024 league MVP may have to wait another year to do that.

That's a shame for the super-talented QB. The lack of championships will overshadow his other accolades, no matter how impressive they are.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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