Josh Allen to start for Bills Sunday, while Patriots keeping all options open at QB
FOXBORO -- While the New England Patriots are keeping everything on the table when it comes to their starting quarterback in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Bills, Buffalo will be starting Josh Allen at Gillette Stadium.
Just don't expect the MVP favorite to be on the field for very long, as the Bills are gearing up for a run at the Super Bowl once the playoffs kick off in less than two weeks.
Why Josh Allen will start Week 18 vs. Patriots
The 13-3 Bills don't have anything to play for in Week 18, as they've already sewn up the No. 2 seed in the AFC. There is no bye to gain with a win and no ground to lose with a loss, so this will likely be a glorified bye week for most Bills players.
But Allen will still be on the field to begin the game in order to keep his streak of consecutive starts going. Sunday will be the 115th straight start for Allen, a streak that dates back to 2018.
It's an important streak for the quarterback, as Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott explained on Monday. But once that streak continues, Allen will take his place on the Buffalo bench a short time later.
"One of the things that we know is very, very important to him is his consecutive starts streak," said McDermott. "It's important to him for a great reason, he wants to be out there with his teammates. And so, he will be out there for a very, very short-lived amount of time and then he'll be off rather quickly there."
Whether that means Allen will get a snap, a series, or a quarter against New England remains unknown. Two weeks ago, he completed 16 of his 29 passes for only 154 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a 24-21 win over the Patriots in Buffalo.
While the Pats will have to deal with Allen briefly on Sunday, it doesn't sound like they'll have to contend with many of Buffalo's other starters.
"What we're going to do is, we'll see some starters out there playing. You'll see some other players who we want to take a good look at," said McDermott. "So, it will be a blend of both."
So the Patriots defense will likely see a lot of Bills backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky on Sunday. But who will be playing quarterback for New England as the Pats close out a disappointing 2024 season?
Will Drake Maye play at all in Sunday's season finale?
The 3-13 Patriots can lock up the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss on Sunday, so it's in the franchise's best interest to lose a seventh straight game to end the season.
Maye is the lone bright spot on the Patriots, but will he even suit up for Sunday's finale. He missed a series last Saturday after suffering a head injury in a blowout loss to the Chargers, and keeping Maye healthy has been priority No. 1 all year.
Head coach Jerod Mayo said that "everything is in consideration" on Monday, leaving the door open for Maye to sit out the game against the Bills. While Jacoby Brissett is Maye's top backup, the Patriots know all they need to know about the veteran quarterback. That could mean that rookie Joe Milton III could be in line for his first career start.
Maye said that he hasn't been told the game plan for Week 18 during his Monday afternoon radio appearance on WEEI, but added that he's preparing as though he's the starter.
"Nothing has been said to me, but I think every week you prepare like you're the starter regardless," said Maye. "So get ready, kind of for whatever, and looking forward to getting another chance, another opportunity this weekend."
Tune in to Sunday's Patriots-Bills clash on WBZ-TV -- the television home of the New England Patriots. Coverage begins Wednesday night with Patriots 1st Down at 9:30 p.m. on TV38 and streaming on CBSBoston.com, and continues Friday night with Patriots All Access at 7 p.m. on WBZ-TV. Pregame coverage begins Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. with Patriots GameDay on WBZ-TV and streaming on CBSBoston.com, and switch over to TV38 after the game for full reaction and analysis on Patriots 5th Quarter.
