Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is expected to start against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a decision made after days of uncertainty surrounding the NFL MVP candidate. He is officially active.
Allen suffered damage to the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow in a Week 9 loss to the New York Jets. There were significant concerns regarding his availability for Week 10, especially because of his history of UCL injuries.
- Josh Allen stats (2022): 2,403 pass yards, 64.1% completion rate, 19-8 TD-INT
Allen didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday due to the right elbow injury. While Buffalo listed him as a limited participant during Friday’s workout, backup quarterback Case Keenum handled the first-team reps.
Related: Buffalo Bills schedule
However, the Bills declined to bring veteran backup Matt Barkley off their practice squad before Sunday’s game. It served as an immediate sign that Allen would be active, with Buffalo keeping just two quarterbacks on its 53-man roster.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Allen is expected to start on Sunday against Minnesota. Buffalo’s team officials have kept their plans and Allen’s availability private, but the belief is that he will be able to play through the elbow injury.
During his absence from practice this week, the Bills consulted with multiple doctors and arm specialists with extensive experience treating athletes with UCL injuries. The consensus evaluation was that there is no additional risk of causing further damage to the UCL if Allen continues to play.
“We are literally in an hour-to-hour situation here just looking at how he’s going to progress through the day. And as he goes through these different tests, medically, making sure that he’s able to check the boxes in a progression to where we can see if we can proceed through the course of the day here.”
Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott on Josh Allen’s status for Week 10
- Josh Allen contract: $16.372 million cap hit (2022), $39.772 million cap hit (2023)
While there is reportedly no elevated risk of making the injury worse, Buffalo will likely exercise caution if Allen starts. He attempted 31-plus passes in seven games this season and he currently ranks fourth among quarterbacks with fewer than nine starts in pass attempts (298).
The Bills could use Allen more as a rusher on Sunday, exposing his elbow to less wear and tear. It could also result in Devin Singletary and Nyheim Hines receiving more touches against a Vikings’ defense that ranks 11th in rushing yards allowed (111.3) per game.
