BUFFALO, N.Y. — Most people figured this would be the Matt Barkley show against the Jets in the Bills regular season finale on Sunday as they have nothing to play for as far as the postseason goes. They can't improve their spot with a win or hurt it with a loss as they're locked into the five seed.
But head coach Sean McDermott sees it differently as he said the starters will play including Josh Allen. His reasoning:
It's still unclear how much the starters will play but you have to hope it's just enough to get some reps, stay mentally engaged and then get out injury free. That's the biggest key is to stay healthy ahead of the playoffs.
It is concerning having Allen play in a game that means nothing especially against a Gregg Williams defense that has a reputation for bringing heavy pressure and aggressive blitzes not to mention the whole "remember me" quarterback hits.
McDermott did say he factored that into his decision to play Allen and the starters.
But the Bills can take some of the pressure off Allen and avoid him taking some of those hits with the play calls and that starts with running the football. Get Devin Singletary and Frank Gore going then T.J. Yeldon when the time comes.
This will also be a good test for the Bills running game too because the Jets run defense is one of the best in the league. They only allow 87.9 yards rushing per game, that's good for second in the NFL so if they can get the running game going against these guys, that's a good sign heading into the postseason.
2 on Your Side's Heather Prusak and Vic Carucci from the Buffalo News and Sports Talk Live dive into these matchups further and look ahead to the playoffs with their weekly preview.