Josh Harder

The Buffalo Bills’ Wild Card road game just got a lot tougher against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Franchise quarterback Josh Allen’s quest for playoff supremacy has met with major injury setbacks. Head coach Sean McDermott’s latest injury updates paint a picture of a postseason that could get derailed right out of the gate.

The biggest blow for Josh Allen’s offense is perhaps the injury to wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle). He hasn’t been able to get any practice reps all week and now sits with a questionable tag ahead of the game. Palmer had previously missed Weeks 13-15 with ankle issues. Now it looks like he might not be able to contribute to their playoff quest.

Cornerback Maxwell Hairston hasn’t practiced all week with an ankle injury and will not suit up for Sunday. Linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf) hasn’t practiced either and shares the same fate as Hairston. Moreover, safety Damar Hamlin was designated to return from the IR after his pectoral injury, offering a brief ray of hope. But he has been limited in practice all week and isn’t ready to join the active roster after all. But it’s not all bad news for the Bills.

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Placekicker Matt Prater (quad) has been a full participant in practices, and the Bills have decided to rest him for Friday’s sessions. It at least looks like Buffalo will have its reliable kicker back in action for the big game. Meanwhile, Josh Allen’s foot has been a nagging question for the past couple of weeks. But he, too, has been a full participant and seems ready to explode at the EverBank Stadium.

Running back Ty Johnson (ankle) hadn’t participated in the practices initially, but could get his reps to determine whether he’ll be ready to suit up against the Jaguars. Altogether, 16 players appear unspecified on the Bills’ injury report. Not exactly what you want to hear just as the playoffs begin. Buffalo will have to manage these injuries and push through.

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Even with a banged-up roster, the biggest question mark isn’t on the injury report. Instead, it concerns Josh Allen. He’s not happy with the way things have unfolded with his team this regular season.

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Josh Allen’s self-inflicted reality check

At the suggestion of Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Josh Allen spent his week in self-reflection. But once he was done and returned to practice on Wednesday, January 7, he didn’t like what he found.

“You’re sitting there like, ‘God I stink.’ It’s like, ‘What am I thinking here? What am I doing?” Allen admitted about his film review. “There’s so much out there that I’ve missed. Whether it’s getting a little lazy with my feet and not taking a check down and maybe instead trying to force something downfield. Or throwing the ball away and not take sacks and allowing us to be in field-goal range. There’s still so much room to improve.”

Despite his impressive numbers, the reigning MVP strives for perfection. He’s got 39 total regular-season touchdowns, ranks seventh in QBR (64.7), completes almost 70% of his passes, and still sees only mistakes. The forced throws, the 40 sacks he absorbed this season, have been a steep climb from last season’s 14. His interception rate also tells the real story. It has jumped to 2.2% this year.

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“Every team that we’re playing here on out is a good team, and it’s no different this week,” Allen further admitted. “I have this extra emphasis on points are at a premium in the playoffs, and just trying to do everything I can to give us points.”