Josh Allen “Day-to-Day” After Foot Scare, Expected to Suit Up vs. Eagles
Bills fans held their breath at halftime of Sunday’s win over the Browns when Josh Allen limped off the field, missing a shoe and heading straight to the locker room. The concern?
A potential foot injury after Allen tried to escape Myles Garrett’s pursuit near his own end zone. Garrett didn’t get the sack, but Allen clearly felt something.
X-rays came back negative, and Allen returned to finish the game. He didn’t show much visible discomfort in the second half, but the offense did stall after a promising start - and that’s where the questions started to swirl.
Was Allen limited? Was the foot bothering him more than he let on?
On Monday, head coach Sean McDermott offered some clarity - and a bit of relief. Allen is officially “day-to-day,” but McDermott said he doesn’t expect the quarterback to need further testing and, as of now, fully anticipates Allen playing in this weekend’s high-stakes showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles.
McDermott described Allen’s condition as “just sore,” and while that might keep him off the practice field for a day or two, it doesn’t appear to be anything more serious. That’s good news for a Bills team that’s fighting for playoff position and about to face one of the NFL’s most disruptive pass rushes.
Allen, for his part, downplayed the injury after the game. And while he didn’t appear to be favoring the foot too much, the offense did lose steam in the second half.
Credit goes to Cleveland’s defense, which tightened up against the run and made life tougher for James Cook and the Bills’ ground game. Allen acknowledged that postgame, tipping his cap to the Browns’ adjustments.
Still, the bigger-picture concern is Allen’s protection - both in the pocket and from himself. He’s been sacked 35 times this season, including once by Cleveland, and he’s now just four sacks away from setting a personal single-season high. That’s not exactly the kind of record a quarterback wants to chase.
And now comes Philadelphia - a defense that brings pressure at a rate nearly identical to Buffalo’s. The Eagles have 37 sacks on the year (three more than the Bills) and a pressure rate of 23.9%, tied for eighth in the NFL.
Buffalo sits just behind at 22.8%. In other words, Allen’s going to be under fire again, and with that sore foot still lingering, keeping him upright becomes priority number one.
The good news? Allen’s one of the toughest quarterbacks in the league, both physically and mentally.
He’s played through pain before and made it look routine. But as the Bills gear up for a critical Week 17 matchup, how well they protect their quarterback - and how well that foot holds up - could go a long way in determining the outcome.
We’ll keep an eye on Allen’s practice participation this week, but for now, the arrow’s pointing up.