Their Thursday Night Football game against the Houston Texans was supposed to set the Buffalo Bills back on track toward their sixth straight AFC East Division title, after their high-flying, 44-32 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just four days earlier. But somehow the Bills looked like a different team at NRG Stadium, managing only 19 points on just one offensive touchdown, limping away with a defeat that set them two full games behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East.
Buffalo’s chances of a sixth straight divisional title now look increasingly dim, but the disastrous game left the Bills with news even more concerning than their place in the standings — namely, the health of reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen, the Bills’ eight-year veteran, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
Allen Takes 8 Sacks
With a little more than three minutes to go in the first quarter, Allen was getting ready to unleash a third-down pass from his own 19-yard line when Houston edge rusher — and 2023 NFL defensive Rookie of the Year — Will Anderson caught him from behind, bringing the 29-year-old quarterback down for what turned out to be one of eight sacks Allen endured on the day.
But this one hurt the most, at least for Allen, who “landed hard on his midsection and appeared to be in pain while remaining down and rolling around on the ground,” as recounted by reporter Jacob Camenker of USA Today.
Allen received treatment on the sideline for what appeared to be a turf burn to his hand, Camenker reported. But Allen also suffered an injury to his non-throwing shoulder, which is obviously of greater concern to the Bills going forward, even though Allen quickly recovered and played the remainder of the game.
Allen Shrugs Off Shoulder ‘Stinger’
“The initial concern that he injured his right hand after seeing his hand sandwiched between the football, the ground, and having Anderson’s brace scrape over the top,” wrote physical therapist Dr. Kyle Trimble for his Banged Up Bills site, which documents and analyzes injuries to Bills players.
“However, an alternate angle showed the left shoulder driven into the ground and Allen confirmed that his left shoulder went numb briefly, forcing him out of the game,” Trimble wrote. “This was a compression of the brachial plexus in the shoulder which caused all the widespread numbness.”
After the game, Allen confirmed the issue with his shoulder, which Trimble described as a stinger, but dismissed it as an injury of any significance.
“Just a left shoulder, went a little numb on me,” Allen said, as quoted by Camenker. “We’re good.”
Allen Also Appears to Hurt Throwing Hand
On a play later in the game, Allen appeared to injure his right hand, and was seen shaking the hand as if in some discomfort. But again, Allen stayed in the game and in this case, did not say anything about the injury in his postgame comments.
Allen did, however, accept blame for suffering eight sacks in the loss.
“It’s not fun,” Allen said, as quoted by WGRZ-TV reporter Jonathan Acosta. “I ran into a couple myself. I’ve got to be better with throwing the ball away and living to see another down.”
The Bills next face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Nov. 30, at Acrisure Stadium. But any hopes for an AFC East divisional title now appear to be riding on their Dec. 14 rematch with the Patriots, who stunned the Bills in Week 5 23-20, handing Buffalo its first loss of the season.
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