ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — His heavily bandaged left hand looked daunting, but Josh Allen insisted that he's OK.
"It's fine," Allen said before adding that he would "probably" get some X-rays done following the Bills' 34-28 season-opening victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
While Allen said he's not worried, the status of his hand on a short week — Buffalo visits the Miami Dolphins for a Thursday night game in Week 2 — might worry Bills fans.
Allen completed 18 of 23 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. He carried the ball nine carries for 39 yards and two more touchdowns, going airborne for one of them, and possibly injuring his left hand in the process.
"I thought it was the flyover, you know, after the national anthem, I thought it was the flyover," Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins said. "But I just said, 'Shoot. What goes up must come down, and I hope you come down in the end zone,' and he did. You know, that big quarterback, it's hard to stop that, especially when you're flying.
"We all wish that we could be a bird, or eagle, or shoot, even a dove, and Josh is that every game. So, hey, I salute him, I'm glad that he's here, and I'm glad that that's my quarterback."
Allen has made a habit of making spectacular plays with the legs ever since he came into the league.
When that happens, does Bills coach Sean McDermott still worry?
"Always," he said. "I'm always trying to keep my eyes on him. We were talking to my locker room after, and someone was saying, 'Hey, did you know Josh had this guy open on this play?' I just keep my eyes on him most of the time, just to to make sure he's doing all right, and then make sure that he's not hit late or whatever."
McDermott said that concern is just part of having Allen as the Bills' franchise quarterback.
"He's a competitor, and you never want anything to happen," McDermott said. "There's a balance there, as always. We talk about that a lot."