The Buffalo Bills were unable to catch the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 overall seed in the AFC playoffs, but their blowout victory over the New York Jets on Sunday allowed the team to treat the season finale as a mini bye week of sorts.
The team’s 40-14 victory on Dec. 29 secured the No. 2 seed, making next week’s matchup against the New England Patriots mostly inconsequential. While Bills head coach Sean McDermott declined to disclose whether the team will rest its starters, quarterback Josh Allen hinted that he would get some extra rest.
Josh Allen Looking Forward to Rest
Allen added to his MVP résumé with Sunday’s victory, throwing two touchdowns and running for another before being pulled in the fourth quarter with the Bills leading 33-0.
Allen told reporters after the game that the team’s locked-in playoff position will allow them to take it easy against the Patriots.
“Not sure what next week brings, but it gives us an option to get certain guys rest,” Allen told the crowd. “And we’ll just kind of go with the flow of what (general manager Brandon) Beane or (head coach Sean) McDermott instruct our guys to do. But (we’ve) still have to prepare as if we’re going 1-0, and that’s our game plan.
Allen said that he would follow McDermott’s lead and do whatever the coach wanted in the last week.
“I have no idea,” Allen replied. “Again, I will do anything is requested of me. I will leave it at that. I do not know.”
The Bills haven’t had many opportunities to unwind in the final week of McDermott’s tenure. In four of the last five seasons, the Bills have competed for the division championship or postseason seeding until the last week. They were only locked in for one season, in 2020, when Allen played one half in a 56-26 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
With the second seed wrapped up, the Bills are assured a home game in the wild-card round and another home game in the divisional round if they win.
Bruising Season for Josh Allen
The Bills may take a careful approach with Allen in the season finale, given the quarterback’s injury history this season. The Bills quarterback verified a recent claim that he broke his left, non-throwing hand in Week 1, requiring him to wear a protective glove for the remainder of the season.
“Yeah. “Yeah, it’s the left one, so it doesn’t matter too much,” Allen told reporters earlier this week, according to SI.com.
