The precise amount of playing time for Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday is uncertain, yet it is expected to be enough to maintain an impressive ongoing record.
On Friday, Buffalo Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott informed WGR 550 that Allen is slated to participate in the upcoming regular-season closing match versus the New York Jets. This announcement follows his absence from practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a foot ailment. Allen engaged in limited practice drills on Friday and has no official injury status listed for the game.
Allen’s foot issue has persisted for several weeks, with X-rays from the previous weekend showing no fracture after he temporarily exited a game. McDermott characterized his recent practice absences as primarily for recuperation, aiming to rest the player who was a contender for the 2024 MVP award:
“Our priority over the past two days was ensuring his well-being. He experienced two effective recovery days, and he will be on the field today, albeit with limitations. He is cleared to play in the match, and we will continue to monitor the situation daily.”
Regardless of the true severity of the foot injury, the Bills have minimal incentive to overexert Allen in the game against the Jets. Having already secured a playoff berth, their understanding of potential seeding outcomes will be clearer by the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.
Should the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Chargers all secure victories, the Bills would be fixed at the No. 7 seed in the AFC conference. Conversely, if both the Texans and Chargers suffer losses, Buffalo could ascend to the No. 5 seed by defeating the 3-13 Jets, an outcome plausible even if Allen participates for merely a single play. Additional pathways exist for the Bills to attain the No. 6 seed, for instance, if either the Texans or Chargers face a defeat.
The primary motivation for the Bills to play Allen, even in a restricted capacity, stems from his impressive 127-game consecutive starting record. This streak is poised to reclaim its status as the longest active run among NFL quarterbacks, as Philip Rivers intends to be inactive this weekend. Allen’s continuous starts date back to his inaugural year, though he previously missed a month during that season due to an elbow issue.
Josh Allen maintains his remarkable durability streak. (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
(Timothy T Ludwig via Getty Images)
Rivers concluded his career with 240 consecutive starts, a record that was reactivated upon his return to an NFL team as the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers’ sequence of starts will conclude this Sunday, as he is set to be benched for the Colts’ match against the Texans.
Consequently, the ranking of quarterbacks by their consecutive regular-season starts will appear as follows:
1. Brett Favre (297 games, 1992-2010)
2. Philip Rivers (243 games, 2006-2025)
3. Eli Manning (210 games, 2004-2017)
4. Peyton Manning (208 games, 1998-2011)
5. Matt Ryan (154 games, 2009-2019)
6. Russell Wilson (149 games, 2012-2021)
7. Matthew Stafford (136 games, 2011-2019)
8. Josh Allen (127 games for Bills, 2018-present)
For those interested, a difference of 170 games separates Favre’s record from Allen’s current total, implying that the Bills’ prominent player would require ten continuous seasons of 17 starts each to surpass a milestone widely regarded as insurmountable.
It’s important to clarify that the aforementioned ranking exclusively pertains to quarterbacks. When considering all current NFL players, Allen’s continuous playing streak ranks second, trailing only Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews, who boasts 193 consecutive appearances.
