While the Buffalo Bills (11-3) are riding high following a hard-fought 32-29 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday Night Football, during which they officially punched their ticket to the postseason, quarterback Josh Allen has appeared to suffer a setback in regards to his throwing arm.
On Tuesday, December 20, the Bills’ injury report listed Allen as “limited” in practice due to his right elbow injury, which he initially hurt against the New York Jets back in Week 9. While the 26-year-old has yet to miss a game due to the elbow sprain, he was limited on the injury report in the weeks afterward.
However, Allen has been listed as a full participant in practice since the Bills’ Thanksgiving Day win over the Detroit Lions back in Week 12, so the status change does spark some concern as Buffalo prepares for their upcoming matchup against the Chicago Bears on Saturday, December 24.
Tuesday injury report
The 26-year-old didn’t appear to be hindered by pain during his MVP-level performance against the Dolphins. While there were several mistakes on defense that nearly cost the Bills the game, Allen finished the night going 25-of-40 for 304 yards and four touchdowns. He added 77 yards on 10 rushing attempts and jumped over a crew of Fins defenders to nab a key two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter.
Josh Allen in a 2 minute drill is the eighth wonder of the world
The Wyoming alum made his way into the history books following this Week 15 win. The Bills’ official PR account tweeted, “Allen notched his 171st career touchdown on the Bills last drive, tying him with Dan Marino for the most total touchdowns in a player’s first five seasons.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, Allen addressed his status change, and thanked the trainers for making him rest because he can already see the positive effects. “It feels good,” Allen said of his arm. “Yesterday was a walkthrough. Just trying to limit the throws and be smart about that. But it felt really good today. Haven’t felt that good in a long time.”
Allen Said He’d Be Dealing With Elbow Injury for the ‘Foreseeable Future’
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on December 8, Allen revealed that he’s still not 100% despite playing without an arm brace and being a full participant in practice.
“I think every day gets a little better,” Allen said. “It’s something that, you know, I’m going to have to deal with for probably the foreseeable future.” In order to mitigate the injury from getting worse, Allen said that he’s “trying to limit throwing throughout the week, and just being smart with when I am throwing.” And while Allen hates missing practice reps, “It’s the smart, sensible thing to do,” he said.
“I’m gonna have to deal with the elbow for the foreseeable future but on game day it doesn’t even bother me” ~@JoshAllenQB
Once he suits up, however, he no longer feels the pain. “On gameday,” Allen said, “it doesn’t bother me.”
While doctors initially tried to get him to sit out and rest for at least two weeks, Allen had a different plan. “When we saw the pictures, I know the doctors weren’t too optimistic for me playing the last few weeks. They thought it was probably going to be anywhere from two to four weeks,” Allen said. “But I kind of had my own plan and basically told them this is what we’re doing, let’s get that PRP shot at the end of the day, let’s not throw all week, and Saturday I’ll see how it’s feeling. And I have a strong feeling that I’ll be able to go this next week.”
The Weather Forecast in Chicago (and Buffalo) Ahead of Week 16 Is Frightful
This week’s forecast: BEAR WEATHER
The Bills will travel to Soldier Field to take on the Bears on Christmas Eve at 1 p.m. ET and can clinch their third straight AFC East title with a win/tie or with a Dolphins loss/tie in Week 16, per Syracuse.com‘s Matt Parrino.
The Bills are considered 9.5-point favorites to beat Chicago, and based on the latest reports, this matchup could be another major snowy affair.
The National Weather Service of Chicago tweeted on Monday, “A strong winter storm will impact the region Thu. into Sat., with potential blizzard conditions Thu. eve into Fri. eve. If possible, those traveling should begin to consider alternate travel plans. Bitterly cold air & strong winds will bring dangerously cold conditions Fri.-Sun.”
Hopefully, the Bills are able to get out of town because it appears yet another major snowstorm is going to hit the Buffalo area, as well.
For weather geeks, this is simply incredible. The GFS drops the pressure of our incoming storm down to 959 mb. The Euro is similar at 961 mb. For perspective, pressure that low is on par with what we’d expect with a CAT 3 hurricane. This thing means business.
The National Weather Service of Buffalo issued a winter storm watch warning “in effect from Friday morning through Monday morning.” NWS Buffalo tweeted on Tuesday for local residents to expect” flash freeze, strong winds – to 65mph, heavy lake effect snow, localized blizzard conditions, whiteouts, power outages/tree damage, difficult to impossible travel at times, wind chills 10 to 20 below zero.”
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Bills QB Josh Allen Has Setback With Elbow Injury Ahead of Week 16