Bills fans were looking forward to seeing Josh Allen take some snaps at the beginning of the team's second preseason game.
Head coach Sean McDermott announced Friday that the team's starters, including Allen, would play around a quarter and a half against Pittsburgh. However, that was not the case when backup Mitchell Trubisky ended up under center Saturday as the contest began.
The decision appeared to be made last minute, as Allen was seen warming up in uniform with the team before kickoff and even participating in the coin toss. The quarterback got some action when he played eight snaps in the season opener, but it looks as though that will be all he gets until at least next week.
Here's everything to know about why Allen sat out the Bills second preseason game vs. the Steelers even though McDermott said he would start.
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Is Josh Allen injured? Explaining why he sat out second preseason game
No reason was made public initially for Allen's absence, and there was nothing to indicate he was injured during warmups. However, it was fairly rainy in Pittsburgh around game time, and there was speculation he was taken out of the lineup as a precaution because of the wet field.
That didn't keep spectators from booing Trubisky when he was announced as the Bills starter for the night. It seems like even Steeler fans were looking forward to some Allen action. Instead, they were treated to a former Steeler who didn't have the best tenure in the Steel City.
In a halftime interview, McDermott confirmed the field conditions due to the weather coupled with Allen's success during training camp so far were reasons why the quarterback didn't start. Allen commented on the decision, understanding why McDermott benched him but planning to joke with him about it anyways.
“I’ll joke with him for the next week and half that it was a soft move.”
— Ajay Cybulski (@AjayCybulski) August 18, 2024
- Josh Allen regarding Sean McDermott’s decision to sit him out tonight.#BillsMafia
Nevertheless, most of the remaining starters did play for Buffalo despite the temporary loss of their first-string quarterback.
