Josh Allen Not Practicing Wednesday, Unlikely to Play Against Vikings

DCM

David Chao, MD

2 min read • November 09, 2022

Posted in

NFL
Josh Allen Not Practicing Wednesday, Unlikely to Play Against Vikings

Bills star quarterback Josh Allen will not practice Wednesday as he recovers from a right elbow injury he suffered at the end of the Week 9 loss to the Jets.

Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said “we'll see” when asked about Allen's status for this Sunday against the Vikings.

McDermott's response fits what the Pro Football Docs detailed yesterday: playing Allen would risk further injury to his elbow and likely isn't worth the risk for the team. 

Allen's elbow injury is not season-ending and will not require surgery at the moment. However, if he plays with a partial tear and is hit in a similar way to his Week 9 injury, this could turn into a full UCL tear and require Tommy John surgery.

Buffalo cannot win the Super Bowl in this November matchup, but they could lose it if they play Allen and he further injures his elbow, according to the Pro Football Docs.

That is why the Bills are likely to take a cautious approach and start Case Keenum against his former team this week.

Buffalo faces the Browns in Week 11 and the Lions in Week 12, thus it would not be surprising to see Allen miss the next three weeks to allow the elbow to fully recover before two divisional opponents in Week 13 and 14.

When Allen suffered a UCL sprain in his rookie season, 2018, he missed four games. The hope is this injury will not keep him out that long, but Buffalo would be smart to treat it with the same caution.

Vikings vs. Bills Week 10 Odds

The Bills are favored by 3.5 points at home against the 7-1 Vikings and the over/under is 43.5, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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

For injury-based picks throughout the season sign up for SIC picks here.