Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen will maintain his streak of consecutive starts in the season finale against the New England Patriots.
The Bills quarterback may not last much longer beyond the opening snaps, however.
The team wrapped up the No. 2 overall seed in the playoffs with Sunday’s blowout win over the New York Jets, rendering their Week 18 game against the Patriots largely meaningless. Though Allen is expected to spend most of the game on the bench to avoid the potential for an injury before the start of the playoffs, head coach Sean McDermott announced on Monday that he would definitely be starting the game.
“Bills HC Sean McDermott said QB Josh Allen will be the ‘starter’ against the Patriots to continue his consecutive starts streak,” reporter Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic shared in a post on X. “McDermott said Allen will be taken out quickly. The rest of the team will be a blend of regular starters & other players they want to get a look at.”
Josh Allen Earns Rest
Allen came into Sunday’s game against the Jets needing two total touchdowns to extend his streak of 40-touchdown seasons and delivered, throwing for two scores and rushing for another. He ended up playing only three quarters, taking the bench in favor of backup Mitch Trubisky for the entire fourth quarter after the Bills jumped out to a 33-0 lead.
The Bills ended up winning 40-14, earning at least two home games should they advance in the playoffs but missing out on a bye week behind the 15-1 Kansas City Chiefs.
The team will now get the chance to treat the season finale as a mini bye week of sorts, resting players who have gotten injuries, Allen included. The Bills quarterback suffered a broken left hand in Week 1 and hurt his right arm in last week’s win over the Patriots.
Making Final Case for MVP
Allen entered Sunday’s game against the Jets as the frontrunner to take home the league MVP award and maintained the lead with a three-touchdown day.
While Allen told reporters he’s not thinking about the MVP race, his teammates have taken up the stump for him. Wide receiver Amari Cooper said after the game that the team could hear the regular “MVP” chants from the crowd at Highmark Stadium, adding that Allen has earned the accolades.
“To hear the ‘MVP’ chants, he definitely deserves it for sure,” Cooper said, via ESPN. “He’s been putting it together. I think he put a stamp on it today.”
Cooper, who came to the Bills from the Cleveland Browns in a midseason trade, said Allen has the ability to make all kinds of plays that other quarterbacks cannot. The two connected on a highlight-reel touchdown on Sunday, with Cooper jumping high to catch a deep pass from Allen in the endzone. ”
“That’s the type of quarterback he is,” Cooper said. “He’s going to give you an opportunity. Every quarterback isn’t that way, for some reason. But, yeah, I am grateful for that. I just gotta continue to show that, ‘Hey, I’ll come down and make these plays.’ “
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Bills HC Sean McDermott Makes Josh Allen Announcement for Season Finale