
It wasn't pretty, but the Buffalo Bills escaped Cleveland with a win and, hopefully, a healthy quarterback, too.
Bills' starting quarterback Josh Allen appears to have avoided injury after worrisome sequence that sent him to the locker room near the end of the first half in Week 16.
With the Bills looking to increase their 20-10 lead before the break, Allen was unable to escape the Browns' pass rush on a second-down play that resulted in a 22-yard loss. Trying to avoid the pressure by running back toward his goal line, Allen gave himself up at the 1-yard line but aggravated his right foot while going to the ground.
Visibly bothered, Allen remained on the field for the third-down snap with the Bills foolishly running him on a tush push. After the one-yard gain, the quarterback limped off to the sideline.
Allen sat on the bench for a moment while removing his shoe before getting an early start to the locker room.
"I just tweaked my foot a little bit, just flamed up on me a little bit, pain subsided, so we're good," said Allen following the 23-20 road win.
During halftime, the Bills announced that Allen "had X-rays on his foot and has been cleared to return."
Allen did not miss a snap the rest of the way, but it wasn't one of his vintage performances. He finished 12-of-19 passing for 130 yards and no touchdowns.
As to whether or not the quarterback was hampered by the injury during the second half, Bills' head coach Sean McDermott was unable to provide certainty on the matter.
"Josh isn't one to lead on if he is [bothered by injury]. He's so tough, so competitive. It's hard to tell what's really going on inside of that heartbeat of his. He just loves being out there with his teammates," said McDermott. "It looked like he threw the ball well [in the second half], but outside of that I don't have a great feel for where he's at right now."
During an on-field postgame interview with CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn, who naturally asked about the right foot, Allen reassured everyone that he's fine.
"We're gravy baby. It's all good," said Allen.
The Bills return home for their final two regular season games, beginning with a December 28 clash against the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
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