ORCHARD PARK — Josh Allen didn’t participate in Wednesday’s walk-through, but it’s hard to imagine him not playing in what could be the final Buffalo Bills game ever played at Highmark Stadium.
Perhaps it’s only a snap or a series, but it would take an awful lot for Allen to forfeit a consecutive starts streak of 121 games. But the Bills aren’t playing for a division championship or homefield advantage against the lowly New York Jets.
The Bills could vault to the No. 5 seed with a win and some help — which gives them an outside shot at hosting a playoff game at some point — but they will be the No. 7 no matter what if they lose. The question becomes whether or not Allen’s ailing right foot, which coach Sean McDermott said was better Wednesday than it was a week earlier, is worth bothering for which road game they play next week.
“Number one is his health,” McDermott said. “… We’ll just take a we’ll-see approach as we go through the week.”
But Allen didn’t commit to playing against the Jets, claiming he didn’t know what the plan was. It’s a far reach from the week before when Allen insisted upon playing even while his coach was trying to be coy.
“Come game day, I’m going to be ready,” Allen said. “Whether that’s this week or next week. I just have to prepare as if I’m ready to roll.”
The concern with Allen is subjecting him to unnecessary hits. Allen has always lived dangerously when it comes to sacrificing his body for a seemingly meaningless extra yard, whether it’s trying to avoid a sack or extend a run.
Although Allen shares some blame, the Bills haven’t been able to protect him the way they have in recent years. Allen has been sacked a career-high 40 times this season, two more than the previous two seasons combined.
Thirty-six of those sacks have come against five-man protections, meaning the five offensive linemen are responsible for keeping Allen clean. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s philosophy is rooted in finding mismatches and putting as many eligible receivers into a route can do that.
Brady also likes to call passes out of heavy personnel, something the Bills have done on 12.2% of Allen’s drop-backs, not counting use of two-tight end sets. And Allen has also made some errors in seeing the rush, which led to not getting the ball out quickly enough.
“There’s obviously way more to it that probably in the offseason I can kind of dive a little more into it. We have a lot more football to go,” Brady said. “It is something that we look at every single week. … There’s a lot of times we’re six-man pro that get to five-man pro and vice versa. I think that the biggest thing is to make sure you got a healthy mix of the two.”
An offense that remains atop the league in almost every statistical category. The Bills are first in rushing yards, fifth in total yards and sixth in points. But they are 17th in passing and a big reason why is an inability to get past sacks.
Allen has taken at least one sack on 33 drives this season, with 19 coming on third down. The Bills have scored on eight of those drives, but only three have resulted in touchdowns.
“I’ve taken too many,” Allen said. “… Not every one is going to be on you, but I’ve taken a lot of unnecessary sacks — opportunities where I can throw the ball away or get the ball out quicker. And I’ve got to be better in that aspect.”
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The Bills offensive line isn’t just looking to keep Allen clean, but there is another goal in their crosshairs this week. James Cook currently has a league-best 1,606 yards rushing and a chance to be the franchise’s first rushing champion since O.J. Simpson in 1976.
Cook is also 103 yards from being the first Bills player since Thurman Thomas in 1992 to eclipse 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season. Both milestones are primarily for Cook, but offensive linemen don’t pile up statistics and blocking for the rushing champion is something they are proud of.
“You can tell your kids, ‘Back in ‘25, I blocked for the rushing champ,’” Bills right tackle Spencer Brown said. “And a good guy like Jimmy to get is super special. He works hard, does all the right things and this O-line will take a lot of pride in getting that done for him.”
In 1990, Thurman Thomas came up seven yards shy of Barry Sanders for the rushing title. Thomas had a 16-yard lead on Sanders heading into Week 17, but the Bills were 13-2 and the regular-season finale was a meaningless endeavor.
Thomas didn’t gain a yard on five attempts. Although the Lions were on their way to a 6-10 season and Sanders was stymied, he still had nine carries for 23 yards, which were enough to surpass Thomas.
Just last year, Saquon Barkley was 100 yards from tying Eric Dickerson’s NFL single-season rushing record heading into Week 18, but the Eagles opted to rest him for the playoffs.
Cook enters the final week with a 47-yard lead on Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor and a 137-yard lead on Baltimore’s Derrick Henry. But Henry is playing the Steelers for a playoff berth and is coming off a 36-carry, 216-yard game as the Ravens leaned into the run with quarterback Lamar Jackson injured.
While most of the starters rested against the Patriots in last year’s finale, the Bills made sure Cook got the rushing touchdown needed to tie Simpson’s single-season team record of 16. The Colts play at 1 p.m., the Bills play at 4:25 and the Ravens are in the Sunday Night Football game, so the Bills should have an idea of what Cook needs for the rushing title, even if they punt on 2,000 scrimmage yards.
“That’s definitely on my mind,” McDermott said. “… That’s a heck of an accomplishment if one can accomplish that, or in this case, a team or an offense can accomplish that. I’m aware of it. We’ll see where it goes.”
NOTES: DT Ed Oliver needed a meniscus clean-up surgery following an injury sustained while rehabbing from a torn biceps. … McDermott didn’t know yet if it would impact his return for the playoffs. … K Matt Prater (right quad) was a full participant Wednesday. … QB Josh Allen (foot), LB Terrel Bernard (calf), DE Joey Bosa (hamstring), FB Reggie Gilliam (illness), DT DaQuan Jones (calf) and S Jordan Poyer (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday. … TE Dalton Kincaid (knee), TE Dawson Knox (knee), DB Cam Lewis (hamstring) and DT Jordan Phillips (ankle) were limited.