Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen allegedly battled through the flu to defeat the Detroit Lions last week, though some questioned whether Allen was really as sick as reports claimed.
According to Allen himself, they may have been correct.
Amazon Prime analyst Richard Sherman revealed after last Thursday’s win that he saw Allen undergoing treatment for the flu, saying the Bills quarterback was shivering in a hot tub before the game. Allen cleared the air this week, saying his illness was not quite as bad as Sherman may have led viewers to believe.
Josh Allen Opened Up on Head Cold
Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s practice, Allen downplayed his illness and said it wasn’t really the flu.
“It wasn’t that bad. It was just a little head cold,” Allen said, via SI.com reporter Alex Brasky. “That’s all it was.”
Allen himself never revealed the illness, but did react to Sherman when he mentioned it in a postgame interview.
“You were shivering in the hot tub before the game. You’re getting IVs. You don’t want to admit it, but you were having a flu game of your own,” Sherman said.
Some fans had already questioned whether Allen was really as sick as Sherman had implied. After NFL Films released a video showing Allen engaging in lively pregame discussion with an official, some fans thought that Sherman may have intentionally played up the illness
“They def made up the flu game so they had a story to push for his first game. Incredibly corny franchise,” one person shared in a post on X.
“People are saying it’s the worst flu anyone has ever had,” another wrote.
Josh Allen Earns Praise for Hot Start
Allen accounted for five touchdowns in last week’s win over the Lions and has scored nine in total this season. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for last week’s win, and also gotten some big praise from his teammates.
“It feels like Madden,” said left tackle Dion Dawkins, via The Athletic. “He knows exactly what play to call, knows exactly where to do it. It’s just cool. I’m telling you, like, it’s just a different feeling.”
Bills receiver Joshua Palmer said the entire offense is clicking through the first two games.
“The most dangerous? I think every position is dangerous,” Palmer said. “We have a dangerous running back room. We have a dangerous tight end room. We have a dangerous wide receiver room. We have an actually dangerous quarterback with a dangerous O-line. So don’t ask about dangerous.”
Bills QB Josh Allen Clears the Air Amid ‘Flu Game’ Controversy