Buffalo Bills fans scrambled at halftime of the team’s Week 16 win over the Cleveland Browns. Quarterback Josh Allen appeared to injure his foot while trying to evade Myles Garrett near his own end zone for a potential sack.
Allen went to the locker room early without a shoe on the injured foot, where he received X-rays that came back negative. Still, Allen finished the game and shrugged off most questions about the injury.
In his weekly Monday press conference, Bills head coach Sean McDermott delivered a promising update about his quarterback’s availability heading into an exciting Week 17 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Buffalo Bills receive encouraging update on Josh Allen's availability
McDermott told reporters Monday that Allen is considered “day-to-day”, but that, as far as he is aware, Allen will not require further testing on the foot and expects the quarterback to play in this Sunday’s game.
McDermott described Allen’s current status as “just sore”, though he’s not sure if that will be enough to keep Allen out of practice during the week.
Allen didn’t seem to favor the foot too much after halftime, though the offense sputtered throughout the second half despite an efficient start. The offense’s struggles came down to the Browns’ efforts in slowing down James Cook and the rushing attack from Buffalo, which Allen credited after the game.
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Allen has been sacked 35 times this season, though just once against Cleveland while Myles Garrett was hunting him down in an effort to break the NFL’s single-season sack record. Still, Allen is just four sacks away from setting a new career-high in sacks taken in a single regular season campaign.
Up next, the Bills face the Eagles, who carry a pass rush not too dissimilar, at least statistically, from Buffalo’s. The Eagles have 37 sacks on the season, three more than Buffalo, and a pressure rate of 23.9%, which is tied for the eighth-best mark in the league. Buffalo’s rate is 22.8%.
Still, with Allen nursing a sore foot, keeping his pocket clean against the Eagles will be at the top of the Bills’ offensive priorities this week. We’ll continue to monitor Allen’s status as the week progresses and more information becomes available.