The Buffalo Bills escaped Sunday Night Football with a last-second victory over the New York Giants, but an already banged-up team might’ve suffered another blow following a Josh Allen injury in Week 6.
Allen went into the medical tent during Sunday’s game, with trainers and physicians examining his throwing shoulder. The Pro Bowl quarterback returned to the game and helped Buffalo pull off the 14-9 victory, but there’s still some uncertainty as of Monday morning.
- Josh Allen stats 2023: 1,576 passing yards, 13-6 TD-INT, 71.7% completion rate, 7.7 yards per attempt, 102.8 QB rating
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During Monday’s appearance on Good Morning Football, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Allen is set to undergo scans this week on his throwing shoulder.
“Josh Allen went into the blue tent, came back out, continued playing. But they were examining his right shoulder. Josh Allen talking about it after the game said they got scans on the right shoulder, kinda of brushing it off…Obviously did finish the game, looked fine, an indication that it’s not a major injury. But obviously, there will be more scans and more tests.”
Ian Rapoport on Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen
Oftentimes with NFL medical staff, the first evaluation tends to be fairly accurate. The fact that Allen was cleared to return to the game was an immediate sign that he avoided a significant injury, but his importance to the offense means Buffalo has to ensure he isn’t going out there with a major issue in his throwing shoulder.
The Bills are also very familiar with what happens when Allen plays through an injury. When he was healthy last season from Weeks 1-6, the NFL MVP candidate posted a 109.1 QB rating with a 17-4 TD-INT ratio, 8.3 yards per attempt and he averaged 330 passing yards per game.
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However, Allen’s effectiveness plummeted after suffering a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow. From Weeks 7-17 last year, when playing through the issue, Allen posted an 87.5 QB rating with an 18-10 TD-INT line, 7.02 yards per attempt and he averaged just 230.3 passing yards per game.
If Allen were to miss time, backup quarterback Kyle Allen would slide into the starting role. Buffalo also doesn’t have an imminent bye week, with the team not off until Week 13. So, the Bills will be hoping Monday’s scans confirm their initial diagnosis from Sunday night.
