The Buffalo Bills blew their last hope to win the AFC East on Sunday when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles by one point after coach Sean McDermott mysteriously called for a two-point conversion with just five seconds left to play, after his team scored a touchdown that should have resulted in a tie game.
Rather than simply kick the extra point and send the game to overtime, the Bills called for a pass to the back of the end zone for the potentially winning conversion. But four-time Pro Bowl QB Josh Allen threw wildly to wide receiver Khalil Shakir, ending the game with the Bills losing 13-12.
It was a strange decision by McDermott given that the Eagles offense ranked only 19th in the NFL coming into the game, and Buffalo’s defense held them to nine points under their per-game points average. If the Bills had held Philadelphia scoreless on one drive in overtime, then moved into field goal range and kicked it successfully, they would have won in overtime.
Allen Ankle Injury May Have Hampered Throw
But there may have been another factor that McDermott failed to take into account â a factor that could carry over into Week 18 and even, possibly, prevent Allen from playing.
Asked after the game about his decision, the 51-year-old, ninth-year head coach said, “I trust Josh Allen with the ball in his hands, and Iâd do it over again.”
Allen, however, was playing through a right ankle injury of some kind that appeared to hamper his performance on several occasions, including on the conversion attempt, when he appeared unable to plant his right foot to get proper leverage on the throw.
Allen Denies Ankle Affected Play
The 29-year-old 2024 NFL MVP was asked whether the ankle had any detrimental effects on his outing against the Eagles. His answer: “Zero.”
But that was not the opinion of many observers. Even Fox Sports postgame commentator Howie Long offered his view that the ankle injury affected Allen on the two-point conversion, noting that Allen was “moving to his left” when he made the pass to Shakir, requiring him to push off his weakened right foot.
Will Allen Play in Week 18?
Though the Bills were eliminated from contention for the top seed in the AFC as well as the East Division title with the loss, they still need a win in Week 18 against the New York Jets to advance in the playoff seedings. They currently sit in the seventh and final playoff spot, meaning that without moving up they will play all of their playoff games on the road where their regular-season record is just 5-3.
But will Allen play?
According to Dr. David Chao of Sports Injury Central, the Bills ironman quarterback who has not missed a start since Week 10 of his 2018 rookie season will be on the field for the Jets showdown at 4:25 p.m. Eastern time on Jan. 4.
“He’s a pickup truck. He’s gonna keep rolling,” Chao said on the SIC podcast. “And, you know, as long as the game is meaningful, which I believe it will be this week, depending on seeding, he’s going to play.”
While agreeing that Allen will play, physical therapist Kyle Trimble, who monitors Bills injuries for his Banged Up Bills website, cautioned that Allen will not be playing at full capacity against the Jets.
“Negative results say that thereâs no fracture but thereâs definitely a sprain or even strain in there,” Trimble wrote, after the Bills announced the results of Allen’s postgame X-ray exam. “Allen will start at least so he can keep his streak intact. But having two weeks off will certainly help. Letâs say he was 80 percent coming in, those two weeks off may help him get back to 80 percent. Heâs not getting back to 100 percent at this point in the season.”
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