The Buffalo Bills locked up the AFC East a long time ago. They are also married to the No. 2 seed in the AFC behind the Kansas City Chiefs. They really have nothing to play for on Sunday. However, their starters will see the field at the beginning of the game.
Bills Starters To Take the Field on Sunday Against New England
Bills coach Sean McDermott remains steadfast in his belief to play the best 22 in every game possible. The adage fits even when his team is heading to the playoffs and has nothing to play for.
Despite that, McDermott said this week his starters are polished and ready to play. “They’ve been rather focused,” McDermott said. “I’m sure some are appreciating the rest and being able to unplug a bit but not totally getting out of the routines, which I think is also important.
“There’s a lot of things you balance; you want to win the game and trying to be smart with keeping players healthy. There’s other considerations, player incentives, players on the practice squad. I’m trying to balance that, and I think communication’s big, and you try trying to do the best you can.”
McDermott further stated on Monday he has some younger players he wants to see in live game action. It will be a mixture of starters and backups that play, but the starters might be on the field for the first series.
“What we’re going to do is you’ll see some starters out there playing, and you’ll see some other players who we want to take a good look at. So it’ll be a blend of both,” McDermott said.
Quarterback Josh Allen, the odds-on leader for the NFL’s MVP, should see action for the first couple of series and then yield to Mitchell Trubisky and potentially journeyman Mike White, who was signed to the active roster this week.
Allen has started 114 consecutive games. This week will be 115. After the game starts, Allen will make a disappearing act, says the head coach. “He will be out there for a very, very short-lived amount of time and then he’ll be off rather quickly.”
The consecutive starts streak is a huge milestone for any NFL player, as it shows their durability, longevity, and commitment to their teammates. The streak is very important to Allen.
“It’s important to him for a great reason. He wants to be out there with his teammates,” McDermott said.