Buffalo Bills Let Josh Allen Play With a Concussion?
It's a hot topic on social media and with fans after the Bills' 23-20 loss in Houston.
The Buffalo Bills lost to the Houston Texans on a last-second field goal yesterday 23-20. It was an ugly game for Buffalo, who struggled to move the ball on the Texans, especially in the first half. QB Josh Allen struggled to find open wide receivers and faced a lot of pressure all game. It didn't help that their top target, Kahlil Shakir, was out with an injury. The Bills' receivers dropped a lot of balls as well, leading to a pretty horrific stat line for Allen who was just 9 of 30 passing for 131 yards and 1 TD. He did not throw an interception but came very close to it.
Many fans are discussing how the offense can improve after 2 straight losses. However, several others are talking about a hit Josh took in the 2nd half.
The Hit That Hurt Josh Allen
Allen was scrambling and hit hard while he was throwing. This led to his helmet bouncing off the turf and Allen laying on the field for a short time, clearly injured.
Warren Sharp on X has this replay:
Allen initially refused to be looked at after getting up and to the sideline but then went into the Blue Medical Tent for evaluation. He would not start the next drive as backup Mitch Trubisky took one snap before Allen hustled back into the game.
FS1 analyst Emmanuel Acho noticed a trainer handing Josh smelling salts before he headed back onto the field, and said that wouldn't fix Josh's problems:
Did Josh Allen Have a Concussion?
The thing being insinuated here is that Allen had a concussion when he was hit, and should have been kept out of the game. After all, the NFL has strict rules for players and concussions. If Josh had one, he should have been kept out of the game. A doctor even chimed in with his assessment:
Now, before we all jump to conclusions, an independent doctor with no affiliations to either team examines players who may have a concussion in the blue medical tent Josh went to. He came out, so one can easily assume he was not diagnosed with a concussion. The smelling salts he was given could just be a coincidence. Josh has been seen using them before to simply wake himself up, which is common for NFL players to do on the sidelines.
The problem is he clearly knocked his head on the turf and then was down. After injuries to fellow QBs like Tua Tagovailoa, the league and fans are sensitive to these issues. Rightfully so, too. Concussions are not things to be messed with and can cause permanent damage.
The fact is there is nothing at this point that proves Josh had a concussion. Just speculation.
What do you think? Let me know: Pat@WBUF.com
Josh Allen Through The Years
Gallery Credit: Getty Images