Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bills Facing Big Decision After Josh Allen Development

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Parker Johnson | Last updated Jan 2, 2026 11:01 AM ET

The Buffalo Bills (11-5) host the New York Jets (3-13) in NFL Week 18 for the final game of the regular season at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo is locked into an AFC wild-card spot, but the path to what would be quarterback Josh Allen's first career Super Bowl appearance will change depending if they finish as the No. 5, No. 6 or No. 7 seed.

Allen's health is a concern heading into the Jets game. He sustained a right foot injury in Week 16 against the Cleveland Browns, and it was aggravated last week in a 13-12 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. X-rays came back negative after the Eagles game, but Allen missed the Bills' first practice of the week on Wednesday.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) warms up before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

On Thursday, ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg reported that Allen was not at practice for the second straight day. The development caused growing concerns that Allen may not play against the Jets because the Bills already have a playoff berth clinched.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott has to determine if it is worth risking Allen's health to try to improve his team's chances of a higher seed. Buffalo enters Sunday as the No. 7 seed, but it could move up as high as No. 5 with a victory over the Jets and help from other teams. But there is another significant outcome resting on his decision of whether or not to start Allen against New York — Allen's consecutive games started streak.

Allen has started 134 consecutive games (including playoffs), the longest active streak among NFL quarterbacks. It could have been snapped in Week 18 of the 2024 season under similar circumstances, but Allen took the first snap of the game to keep his streak alive before resting the remainder of the game.

They will start him for 1 snap and then bench him. He cares too much about his iron man streak. https://t.co/aAyMD0r4cb
— Chris (@chiefs_outsider) January 1, 2026

McDermott's decision to put Allen out there for a single snap drew plenty of criticism, but he could take the same unpopular route this Sunday. Consider what the Bills coach said before last week's game against the Eagles.

"He's as competitive as there is, and as good as there is, but I also have a responsibility to protect him to make sure he's as healthy as possible for us as we move into the playoffs," McDermott said. "You've got to know, to get [No.] 17 off the field, you're gonna have to ... I'm gonna have to wrestle him."

If Allen does suit up for his 135th straight start on Sunday, he has a long way to go to set an all-time NFL record. Here are the top five consecutive games started streaks in NFL history — which does not include the active leader among all positions, Atlanta Falcons LT Jake Matthews (194).

Brett Favre, QB — 297
Jim Marshall, DE — 270
Bill Romanowski, LB — 243
Philip Rivers, QB — 242
Mick Tingelhoff, C — 240

It remains to be seen how many snaps Allen will play Sunday, but if he is on the sideline, fans can expect to see Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky take his place.

The Bills-Jets game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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