Josh Allen Explains Why Starting in Week 18 'Means a Lot' to Him

Allen will start vs. the New England Patriots, then sit pretty quickly.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates scoring a rushing touchdown.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen celebrates scoring a rushing touchdown. / Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

NFL fans were surprised to hear the Buffalo Bills will start Josh Allen in Sunday's regular season finale vs. the New England Patriots since the Bills already locked in a playoff spot. It was expected the starters would want to rest before the postseason.

However, coach Sean McDermott explained how Allen's consecutive starts streak of 115 matters a lot to him, so he wants to keep that going. Allen talked more about his streak on Wednesday.

“It’s something that means a lot to me," Allen said. "Just making sure that I’ve been available, playing through things throughout the years. Yeah, it means a lot to me, so I’m glad I get to start.”

Allen admitted he knows he's nowhere near the NFL record, which Brett Favre holds at 297 consecutive starts, but it's still something significant for him to have in his career. But, Allen does hold the longest active starting streak. He ranks 11th in the NFL quarterbacks' all-time starting streak list.

Luckily for Bills fans, Allen will likely only be on the field for a couple plays or one drive and then sit for the rest of the contest so he can avoid any potential injury on the field before the playoffs. The Bills will compete in the wild-card round, which begins on Saturday, Jan. 11. Their opponent has yet to be determined.


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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.