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Bills QB Josh Allen to play briefly vs. Patriots to keep consecutive starts streak going

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Bills QB Josh Allen to play briefly vs. Patriots to keep consecutive starts streak going

The Buffalo Bills will be the AFC’s No. 2 seed no matter how Week 18 plays out, so head coach Sean McDermott plans to have the team’s backups play, but starters, including quarterback Josh Allen, will also see action.

“What we’re going to do is you’ll see some starters out there playing, and you’ll see some other players who we want to take a good look at. So it’ll be a blend of both,” McDermott said on Monday of their plans for the game against the New England Patriots.

Why risk Allen in a game that holds no meaning for the 13-2 Bills? McDermott said that Allen’s consecutive games started streak is important to him, so he will be out there “for a very, very short-lived amount of time” and then he will exit the game “rather quickly.”

“I’m not surprised by it. The conversation we had, it was rather brief, but it was the first thing that he shared was that that was important to him,” McDermott said. “He’s been well decorated to this point and will continue to be well decorated as he moves forward and the honors he’ll get and rightfully so. I think it’s pretty cool when this type of stat, if you will, is one of the top things on his mind.”

Allen currently holds the longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks with 114 consecutive starts — a streak that includes the postseason and dates back to 2018. Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions is next on the list with 51 straight starts.

Brett Favre holds the NFL record with 297 consecutive starts.

Allen’s appearance in Week 18 will cap off a season that could very well see him earn his first NFL MVP award as he faces stiff competition from Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. He has helped the Bills score the most points (509) and touchdowns (63) in franchise history.

Allen’s streak is important to him, and while McDermott wants to assist his quarterback, this week and the game against New England will be about rest and preparing for one of three potential opponents — the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins or Cincinnati Bengals — during wild-card weekend.

“We want to win this game, there’s no doubt. At the same time try and get a little bit of rest. That’s the obvious,” McDermott said. “And then also try and prepare a little bit if we can forecast a little bit who we might play. So it’ll be a week that’s focused on New England, but also moving our team forward as well.”

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