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Essentials Inside The Story

  • Josh Allen leads Bills, but health concerns linger before the Denver game
  • Buffalo Bills lose two major assets, receiver depth thins
  • Buffalo leans on Khalil Shakir heading into Denver

The Buffalo Bills got the better of the Jacksonville Jaguars and won their first road playoff game since 1992. Josh Allen played a superhero again, and while it worked on the box score, the quarterback was evaluated multiple times after taking so many hits. And head coach Sean McDermott provided a concerning update on his health before their trip to Denver.

“Certainly sore. And as you know, he’s gonna do whatever it takes to play,” the Bills’ HC said, according to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg.

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The soreness isn’t surprising. Allen was everywhere. He completed 28 of 35 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown, then added 33 rushing yards and two more scores with his legs. Two of those touchdowns came in the fourth quarter, including the game-winner with just over a minute left. It was another classic Allen playoff performance. But it didn’t come without a few scares.

In the second quarter, Allen hurt his finger after hitting a helmet. Later, he tweaked his ankle while scoring a touchdown. The good news is that neither injury appears to be serious, at least not at this stage.

There’s also something lingering that’s been there for a while. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport explained it after the game.

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“We’ll start with the old. The foot injury that he’s been battling, which is a bone issue, old bone issue on the outside of his midfoot, seems to have come out okay. That one is getting better. That is really pain tolerance, which means it hurts, but he’s okay,” he said.

Even so, Rapoport wouldn’t be shocked if Allen is limited in practice as the week goes on. This is the same foot injury he picked up in Week 16 against the Browns and aggravated again in Week 17 against the Eagles. The Bills know they have to manage this carefully.

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Before Sunday’s kickoff, Josh Allen already led the postseason in total yards per game (311), rushing yards (668), and touchdown-to-interception ratio (6.25). His performance in Jacksonville only padded those numbers. Now, the priority is simple: get Allen as close to 100 percent as possible, since the team will be without some offensive weapons.

Josh Allen’s team suffers two major blows before the Denver Broncos

The Buffalo Bills are holding their breath again on the injury front. Head coach Sean McDermott said wide receiver Tyrell Shavers is being evaluated for a knee issue. Shavers was eventually cleared to return, but McDermott made it clear there’s still some waiting involved.

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“We’ll see where it goes from here, still evaluating his situation,” McDermott said.

Shavers has been in and out of the lineup all year. He’s appeared in 15 games but has played just under 40 percent of the offensive snaps. He’s racked up 15 catches on 23 targets for 245 yards and a touchdown, but with the Bills already thin at receiver, even losing a role player matters right now.

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The bigger blow came later. Gabe Davis went down in the second half against the Jaguars while trying to haul in a pass that fell incomplete. He finished with two catches for 14 yards on three targets. He was carted off, and on Monday, McDermott confirmed the worst: a torn ACL.

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Davis didn’t make his season debut until Week 11, but once he was back, he quickly carved out a role. He started five of the Bills’ final eight regular-season games and wrapped up the year with 12 catches for 129 yards.

These blows came after Josh Palmer’s season was already over. The Bills announced Saturday that Palmer wouldn’t play because of an ankle injury and soon after placed him on injured reserve, officially ending his year.

So now, heading into a matchup with the Denver Broncos, the receiver situation is tight. Khalil Shakir is clearly the centerpiece. He’s been the most reliable option all season, piling up 719 yards and four touchdowns, and McDermott will gladly lean on him.

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With Davis and Palmer out and Shavers still a question mark, Keon Coleman is likely to see his role grow. Outside of Shavers and Brandin Cooks, Coleman was the only other wideout to record a catch last week. He’s played 43 percent of Buffalo’s offensive snaps and was active Sunday only because Palmer couldn’t go.

Expect Coleman to get more run, with Shakir and Cooks carrying most of the workload against a Broncos defense that happens to be the best in the league in the red zone.

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