Bills to Start Josh Allen in Meaningless Week 18 Game vs Patriots

The Buffalo Bills have absolutely nothing to play for in Week 18 against the NFL-worst New England Patriots. They cannot change their playoff seed from No. 2, though head coach Sean McDermott confirmed Josh Allen will remain under center, Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team reported. “Despite having the No. 2 seed locked up, #Bills HC Sean McDermott said Josh Allen will start Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots, though he’ll only play a limited amount of time to keep his consecutive start streak alive,” Meirov said on X. Despite having the No. 2 seed locked up, #Bills HC Sean McDermott said Josh Allen will start Sunday’s game vs. the Patriots, though he’ll only play a limited amount of time to keep his consecutive start streak alive. pic.twitter.com/EhFkIor9KD — Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 30, 2024 McDermott said that Allen will get the start to continue his ongoing streak of 104 consecutive games started, so it’s not so much in relation to further polishing his MVP campaign. Allen was replaced by backup Mitch Trubisky after the Bills took a 40-0 lead over the New York Jets on Sunday. Allen threw for 182 yards and three total scores in the massacre. “At the end of the day, Josh Allen is the MVP. I’ve been around this league long enough to know to see MVP every year for many years. And what he has done on this team and this organization in this community — and no offense to anybody else — but I’ve got a hard time believing that someone’s done more,” McDermott said. ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 29: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Orchard… ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 29: Quarterback Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a game against the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium on December 29, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. Allen has done a magnificent job of utilizing everyone in the offense from receivers Keon Coleman, Amari Cooper, Khalil Shakir, and tight end Dalton Kincaid. There really is no one target he favors this season. “Josh does a great job in trusting his guys to go make the play. He knows exactly the type of ball to throw in those situations,” Cooper said. The Bills had locked in the No. 2 seed with the 40-14 victory over New York. They won’t know who they will face in the wild-card round until Week 18 has concluded, but it will be between the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Cincinnati Bengals. “Not sure what next week brings, but it gives us an option to get certain guys rest, and we’ll just kind of go with the flow with whatever Beane and McDermott are telling our guys to do,” Allen said. As far as the rest of the team goes, it’s likely many key starters will be resting in Week 18’s exhibition match. “It does give us options. And I think that’s the key thing for us,” McDermott said. “We’ll see where it takes us. We’ve got some guys who are hurting a little bit right now and might need some rest, but we’ll see.” Read more: Lions vs 49ers Expert Predictions for Monday Night Football Week 17 For more on the Bills, head to Newsweek Sports.