As is the case for much of the derring-do that has put Josh Allen on the verge of the all-time postseason rushing record for quarterbacks, those closest to him Monday night held their breath the Buffalo Bills’ most indispensable player would protect himself. They yelled. They begged. They tried telepathy.

“In your head, you’re screaming, ‘Slide!’ But then he’s weaving in and out of defenders, running guys over,” Bills tight end Dawson Knox said. “It’s hard to tell a guy to slide when he’s doing stuff like that.”

On third-and-8, Allen emerged from a crumbled pocket, both hands firmly grasping the ball in front of him as he scanned for space to traverse the Pittsburgh Steelers defense. He broke out, cut left, tucked the ball under his right armpit. Steelers safety Damontae Kazee, playing deep center field, sized up Allen from 15 yards away and zeroed in. Two other decorated defensive backs converged.

“There’s a lot of guys screaming, ‘Slide!’ ” Allen said. “Didn’t slide and scored.”

Allen juked left, lowered his shoulder and trucked Kazee to the cold turf. “Bounced that guy off the ground like a basketball,” left tackle Dion Dawkins said. Steelers stars Patrick Peterson and Minkah Fitzpatrick, perhaps assuming Allen would heed the cries, pulled up just a little too much. Allen split them, with receiver Andy Isabella and tight end Dalton Kincaid sealing them off.

The 52-yard touchdown run is quintessential Allen, reminding us all why he’s at his best when uncorralled and allowed to put his hulking body on the line.

Almost every offseason, the Bills make an organizational effort to modify Allen’s mindset, to recalibrate his instincts into something more conservative, more accountable, more judicious. And every year, Allen eventually re-embraces his devil-may-care methods.