Getty Josh Allen runs onto the field before a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was missing at the Pro Bowl, but certainly not forgotten.
Allen was not named to the AFC’s roster as a starter, generating plenty of controversy and pushback from Bills fans and commentators alike. Allen did eventually get an invite as an alternative, though ended up turning it down to compete in a different endeavor. But Allen’s snub came up again during the game, generating some viral interest.
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Allen Earns Mention
Allen had the chance to compete in the Pro Bowl after others dropped out, but announced after the team’s divisional-round loss to the Kansas City Chiefs that he was going to take some time away from football to rest and heal up after a bruising season.
“Unfortunately, I will be declining the invitation to play in the Pro Bowl this year — in order to allow my body to rest and recover from the harshness of the season,” Allen said, via Chris Mortensen of ESPN. “The type of quarterback I am, I obtain a lot of bumps and bruises along the road of a season, so I will use this time to let my body heal.”
Allen had a strong follow-up to his breakout season in 2020, completing 63.3% of his passes for 4,407 yards with 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Allen also rushed for 763 yards, a career-high, and six rushing touchdowns.
Josh Allen bending ESPN to his will
The Pro Bowl announcing team apparently missed Allen. As the camera trained on teammate Dion Dawkins on the sidelines, commentator Brian Griese noted the absence of the Bills quarterback, saying he deserved to be playing.
“You know, speaking of Dion Dawkins, the guy that Dion Dawkins protects, Josh Allen, there’s no way he should not be in this game,” Griese said at the same time that Dawkins was giving his quarterback a shoutout.
A clip of the exchange was shared by Trainwreck Sports on Twitter, generating some viral interest among Bills fans.
Allen Made Other Plans
While Bills teammates Dawkins and Stefon Diggs were competing in the Pro Bowl, Allen was showing off in another sport. He accepted an invitation to compete in the 2022 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, teaming up with PGA golfer Keith Mitchell. The pair had a strong showing, finishing at -15 after three rounds, but missed the cut.
Though it may not have been the desired result, Allen told Action News that it was fun to get the chance to compete.
“Just to be out here and to be a part of this it’s pretty special,” Allen said. “Obviously I wish I was in a different spot but it’s a close second being right here.”
Play it as it lies, @JoshAllenQB …
Or don’t. 🏈
As the team’s official website noted, the tournament was held just three hours from where Allen grew up in central California, which made the event even more special for him.
“Oh yeah there was a lot of Bills Mafia, lot of Central Valley, lot of Firebaugh’s out there,” Allen said. “This is an event that my family would go to as a kid and to know that now I got the chance to play in it was really special.”
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