Josh Allen Injury: Why Bills QB Is Likely To Miss At Least This Week With Elbow Sprain

The Buffalo Bills have not provided much information about quarterback Josh Allen’s throwing elbow injury and his status for the Week 10 matchup against the Vikings remains unclear.

Based on video and recent reports of the injury, Allen is unlikely to play against Minnesota for several reasons, according to the Pro Football Docs.

The biggest reason is he would risk further injury to his ulnar collateral ligament if his arm gets bent back in a similar way to the original injury.

The only way Allen could play Sunday is if his MRI revealed no additional damage to his UCL. He suffered a UCL sprain in Week 6, 2018 and missed four games, but that injury likely left him with residual laxity (looseness) in his elbow ligament.

If there is any swelling or a partial tear of his UCL, there is no way he plays this Sunday. Allowing him to play with a partial tear would risk further injury and he could also have difficulty on max effort throws, such as bullet passes over the middle.

Two plays after he was injured on the strip sack against the Jets, he unleashed a 70-yard throw on 4th and 21 that fell incomplete. This throw does suggest that he is not dealing with a full UCL tear, but it doesn’t mean there is no elbow injury.

If he did have a full UCL tear, he would require season-ending Tommy John surgery. However, this sprain could turn into a full UCL tear if not given the proper time to heal.

The Bills do not face a division opponent until Week 13 and face the Browns (3-5) and Lions (1-6) in two of the next three games.

At this point, Allen is more likely to sit those three games rather than play this week against the Vikings, according to the Pro Football Docs.

If Allen is out against Minnesota, Case Keenum would step in to face his old team.

Vikings vs. Bills Week 10 Odds

The Bills are favored by 5.5 points at home against the 7-1 Vikings and the over/under is 45.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Through Week 9, our staff is 57% on player props and 58% on live bets.

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