If you scroll through social media, you’ll come across some pretty wild injury theories (none of which have actual merit) about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Thanks to a viral video and some analysis by some well-known sports doctors, many are convinced Allen injured his knee while taking a helmet to that area during Buffalo’s 24-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers two weeks ago.
Others — think conspiracy theory lovers here — believe he’s actually playing with ligament damage in his knee. That’s even more unlikely given the nature of how Allen plays (he runs a lot and absorbs a lot of damage when he leaves the pocket).
Regardless of whether or not any of those theories have any merit, it’s hard to ignore the fact that rumors about Allen’s health are all over social media. So it’s no surprise the MVP quarterback was asked about whether or not he’s been playing injured ahead of Buffalo’s Week 5 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams.
Josh Allen Addresses Injury Speculation
During his media availability on Thursday, Allen was asked point-blank if the fact that he’s injured played into him rushing only five times in last weekend’s loss to the New England Patriots.
“There’s no truth to that,” Allen said. “So, feeling great.”
If he’s truly not injured, then seeing Allen only run five times should bring a smile to the face of Bills fans. Just a week ago, the Bills were being heavily criticized for running Allen so much — he had a season-high 14 carries against the Chargers in Week 3 — and Allen himself was criticized for taking so many brutal hits.
But because he averaged nearly 10 carries per game through the first three weeks, and his carries were cut in half against the Patriots, it left the door open to conjecture about whether or not his decision-making was affected because he’s taken so many hits this year.
“No, I don’t think so,” Allen told reporters.”I think they had a good plan of keeping me rallied in the pocket. If anything, they were forcing me to go left, so it’s just kind of how the situation of the game was going.”
NFL Legend Warns Josh Allen to Stop Playing ‘Hero Ball’
It’s no secret the key to shutting down the Bills offense is finding a way to contain Allen.
Because the offense runs through him, Allen sometimes has a propensity to try and do it all himself when plays break down.
However, legendary Carolina Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith — a five-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro selection, and a former WR triple crown winner — thinks Allen needs to start relying on his teammates a little more and take some of the pressure off his shoulders to win games by himself.
“It’s really tough to watch because you already know that … he has to put his cape away,” Smith said. “You can’t allow Josh Allen to continue to be Superman and not expect mistakes to happen. Week 1 — five touchdowns, zero interceptions.
“Now we’ve got one touchdown, 400-plus yards passing but too many errors and too much on his plate. We got to get back to giving the ball to James Cook, throw in some explosive plays, running the football, and less Superman and more Clark (Kent).”
Josh Allen Breaks Silence on Injury Rumors Ahead of Bills-Rams Clash