Did Josh Allen's Incredible Touchdown Throw Prove Why He's An NFL MVP Favorite?

Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills fires a touchdown pass to Keon Coleman against the Las Vegas Raiders© Image via: X/@NFL_DovKleiman

Travis Kelce makes a living catching passes that look impossible, so it says something that he needed a moment to process this one. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was falling backward against the Las Vegas Raiders when he lofted a touchdown to Keon Coleman over two defenders. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end replayed it on his podcast and shook his head. The throw lifted Buffalo to 5-1 and moved Allen to the front of the NFL MVP conversation, just as the Bills head into a well-timed bye week.

Josh Allen And Keon Coleman Stun The Las Vegas Raiders

The play came on third-and-8 from the Raiders' 12-yard line. Buffalo led 16-13 after the teams went into halftime tied at 13-13. Pressure rushed in from the left, and Allen slid around the pocket looking for room. He found Coleman open, released the ball just before contact, and watched it travel 12 to 15 yards into the end zone.

Kelce searched for a comparison on the New Heights podcast and came up short. "You've got to have some cojones to throw that like that. We've seen the five-yard-like pitch like that. I've never seen the 15 yards downfield over two guys," Kelce said.

How did Josh Allen make this TD pass to Keon Coleman? BUFvsLV on CBS/Paramount+ Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/CNLw6KW2tC

— NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2026

Allen had no idea how it ended. Flat on the turf, he read the crowd to figure out whether he had scored or handed Las Vegas an interception. A throw like that works as a highlight far more often than it works as a plan, and Buffalo happily took the result.

Josh Allen Leads The NFL MVP Odds Before The Baltimore Ravens Game

The touchdown was the 258th of Allen's career, matching Jim Kelly for the most passing scores in Bills history. He finished 23 of 33 for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the 33-30 win. Coleman added 59 yards and reached the end zone for a third straight game.

BetMGM now lists Allen at +190 to win MVP. Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers sits at +275, followed by Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs at +750, Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars at +900, and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at +1000. Allen cannot improve that standing this weekend because Buffalo is off.

Kelce has his own numbers to watch. Through five games, he has 20 catches for 299 yards and two touchdowns for Kansas City.

The Bills return on November 1 to host the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium. If Allen keeps producing plays like this one, the gap between him and the rest of that list could widen quickly.