Sean McDermott wasn’t kidding when he said Josh Allen would play one quarter Saturday for the Buffalo Bills. The team’s head coach stayed true to his word, lifting his star quarterback in the middle of a drive during the Bills’ preseason opener at Highmark Stadium – a 33-6 loss to the Chicago Bears. “I just felt like it was the right time,” McDermott said after the game of taking Allen out mid drive.
“You know, he came out, I thought he had a good warmup, good look in his eye. I saw what I needed to see, so no need to put him out there in harm's way any longer.” Allen finished the game 2 of 3 for 22 yards.
The Bills’ offense went three-and-out on its first possession, with running back James Cook getting stuffed for a 2-yard loss on a third-and-1 play after Allen completed a 7-yard pass to slot receiver Khalil Shakir on second down. Bills quarterback Josh Allen scrambles during Saturday's preseason opener against the Chicago Bears at Highmark Stadium. The Bills’ second series started with a 15-yard completion from Allen to Curtis Samuel on a wide receiver screen.
On his penultimate play, Allen scrambled for 7 yards and a first down on a third-and-6 play. Allen wisely slid down at the end of that run, but seeing his quarterback on the move in the open field might have been enough for McDermott. Just one play later – a 1-yard loss by Cook – the first quarter came to an end, and when the second quarter started, Mitch Trubisky had replaced Allen at quarter.