Josh Allen expressed gratitude toward Bills fans in a statement released Monday afternoon.
"I can't tell you how special it is to see the outpouring of support for me and my family during this tough time," Allen said. "The donations made to OCH in honor of my grandmother would make her so proud. Thank you Bills Mafia! It is an honor to be your quarterback."
Allen's grandmother, Patricia, died unexpectedly Saturday at the age of 80. The Bills quarterback turned in one the best games of his career less than 24 hours later, amassing 415 pass yards and four total touchdowns in a 44-34 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Upon learning of Allen's loss after the game, Bills fans rallied with donations to John R. Oishei Children's Hospital in increments of $17 – a nod to the quarterback's number. The hospital tweeted that donations in Patricia Allen's memory had surpassed $200,000 as of Tuesday morning.
Allen has supported Oishei throughout his young career with frequent visits and fundraising efforts, most recently with the release of his personally designed Bills Fan Box T-shirt last month.
The support from Bills fans is reminiscent of 2017, when Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton led a game-winning touchdown drive over the Baltimore Ravens that sent the Bills to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Bills Mafia reacted by donating to the Andy and Jordan Dalton Foundation in $17 increments, a nod to the length of the playoff drought.
Donations to Dalton's foundation totaled more than $400,000. Over $5,000 was also raised in support of a youth football league supported by Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd, who caught the winning touchdown.
Allen's performance on Sunday made him the first NFL quarterback in the Super Bowl era to have multiple outings with 300-plus yards, three-plus touchdowns, no interceptions, and a rating of at least 130 during the same season.
"Josh is a soldier," left tackle Dion Dawkins said afterward. "He's a battler and he has the will of a champion. Every time Josh touches that field, he lays it all on the line every play. He's a leader. He's our leader."
