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QB Josh Allen out of Bills training for second day in a row due to injury and still unsure of playing against Vikings on Sunday
- “We’ll see,” coach Sean McDermott said of the fifth-year starter’s availability
- Allen missed Wednesday’s practice after a sprained throwing elbow
- He wore a brace on his right arm three days after losing to the Jets last Sunday
- Backup QB Case Keenum, 34, will start for the first time this year if Allen sits out
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Josh Allen missed his second practice in a row on Thursday due to a sprained throwing elbow, further clouding the Buffalo Bills quarterback’s chances of playing against the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings this weekend.
Allen was injured in the closing minutes of a 20-17 loss to the New York Jets last Sunday. The 26-year-old was spotted wearing a brace on his right arm after missing practice on Wednesday.
‘[Josh] was still joking and laughing and kidding guys and asking silly questions,” von Miller hurriedly told ESPN. “He was exactly the same Josh he’s always been.”
Without revealing the severity of the injury, coach Sean McDermott called the fifth-year starter day by day, saying only ‘We’ll see’ when asked if he can play on Sunday.
Josh Allen missed back-to-back practice this week ahead of Sunday’s Bills-Vikings game
The 26-year-old injured his elbow in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter in a loss to the Jets
McDermott is expected to provide an update Friday, when the Bills (6-2) are due to release their final injury report.
The injury is similar to the one that caused Allen to miss four games during his rookie season in 2018, the last time he missed a start. If he can’t go, 10-year-old journeyman backup Case Keenum would fill in for the Bills, whose lead over the AFC has been reduced to half a game.
Keenum played nine times for the Brown’s over the past two seasons, coming out with a 5-4 record before being traded to the Bills in March for a seventh round.
His best season came with the Vikings in 2017, when he finished 11-3. He was most remembered for the 61-yard touchdown pass to then-wide receiver Stefon Diggs of Minnesota as time passed to secure a 29-24 win over New Orleans in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs.
If Allen can’t play, 34-year-old backup Case Keenum will start for the first time this season
“I do the same thing every week. I prepare to play every week, every day, every period, every practice, every meeting,” said the 34-year-old backup quarterback. “So it’s the same, I got a few reps today. I feel great, feel great with the communication, the mentality of the team with [offensive coordinator Ken] Dorsey and Sean’s communications everyone and take it on for a day.”
Allen will be a big miss for Buffalo, contributing 82 percent of the team’s total distance and 92 percent of the offense touchdown, the biggest impact a quarterback has had on any team in the league this season.
“Of course Josh makes the wheels a little bit fatter because he’s just, he’s just special,” Digs, who joined the Bills in 2020, told ESPN. “So it’s like obviously it’s not easy when he’s out there. Things happen when he’s out there. So it does make the wheels a little greasy, but they have to turn.”
Starting middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin/heel) and starting safety Jordan Poyer (elbow) also missed their second consecutive day of practice. Poyer has already missed one game.