Bills quarterback Josh Allen is progressing well as he participated in individual drill work at practice, though he remains in the NFL's concussion protocol.
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott provided a brief update Wednesday after a big helmet-to-helmet hit in Sunday's game against the Patriots put Allen in the concussion protocol. McDermott said Allen will be in meetings with the team Wednesday, and he plans to get both Allen and backup Matt Barkley ready for Week 5 against the Titans.
“We’ll get them both ready, but with Josh being in the protocol, he’ll do some individual drill work out there, but other than that he’s in the protocol," McDermott said (via the team's official website). “We’ve got a lot of confidence in Josh. We’ve got a lot of confidence in Matt and that’s where it is.”
Coach McDermott: "QB Josh Allen remains in concussion protocol." pic.twitter.com/v1Km1CZria
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 2, 2019
Allen suffered the injury Sunday in the fourth quarter when he was scrambling for a first down and was knocked down by Patriots defensive back Jonathan Jones.
Here's the hit on Josh Allen.pic.twitter.com/J9HCYhM9Pp
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 29, 2019
The hit sparked some controversy leaving the Bills upset as McDermott said: "There's no room in football for that." Patriots coach Bill Belichick, on the other hand, defended the play, saying, "[Jones] did what we've coached him to do."
Some have also called out the second-year quarterback for not sliding to avoid the hit.
“Every young player has to figure out how to play in this league, number one to be effective and then so they can play a long time,” McDermott said Tuesday. “That’s what happens with young players.”
Allen made 13 of 28 passes for 153 yards and rushed for a short touchdown but threw three interceptions before exiting Sunday's game.
The Bills (3-1) will travel to Tennessee to face the Titans (2-2) on Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET.