Injury Fears Rise After Allen’s Tough Hit
The mood shifted Thursday night when Josh Allen went down hard due to a brutal tackle from behind. It felt as if the aspirations of an entire team and its supporters hung in the balance.
As Allen kicked his leg, discomfort was evident as teammates and later the training staff rushed to his side.
While the reigning MVP avoided any major missteps, that play hinted at what was to follow against the Texans.
Houston eventually culminated in taking Allen down for a career-high eight sacks, leading to a surprising 23-19 win for the Texans. This should serve as a wake-up call for the Bills, emphasizing the need to better shield their star quarterback.
“Twelve hits on the quarterback? I don’t like those figures at all,” Bills coach Sean McDermott commented. “It’s not a healthy way to play, nor to ensure our quarterback’s safety throughout the season. It just doesn’t add up.”
The Bills’ Super Bowl ambitions hinge on Allen’s performance and bolstering an average roster of playmakers around him. So far this season, they’ve done relatively well, allowing just 20 sacks over ten games. But on Thursday, things didn’t go as planned.
Houston’s relentless pass rush clearly troubled Allen, contributing to a performance without touchdowns and two interceptions.
The most alarming moment happened when Will Anderson tackled Allen from behind during a critical third-and-6, with Buffalo leading 6-3.
As Anderson brought him down, Allen hit the ground hard and landed on his left shoulder, later mentioning he felt “a little numb.”
“It’s not enjoyable,” Allen remarked. “I’ve been in that position myself. I’ve had to learn to throw the ball away and navigate situations better, especially since I’ve faced my fair share of challenges.”
Only Allen truly knows if that hit affected his game, but he ended up completing 24 out of 34 passes for 253 yards, with only 20 rushing yards—definitely not his standard performance.
With 24 seconds remaining, he threw an interception on a fourth-and-6 at the Texans’ 22-yard line, which dashed Buffalo’s hopes of a comeback.
Currently, the Bills are two games behind the Patriots in the AFC East, with New England holding a tiebreaker. This underwhelming outing takes a toll on the Bills’ chances for winning the division for the sixth year in a row.
As it stands, the Bills occupy the sixth spot in a tightly-packed AFC playoff race.
“They wanted this game more than we did,” Allen noted. “We had opportunities there at the end, and we needed to capitalize.”
