The Buffalo Bills are under scrutiny after electing to play quarterback Josh Allen in Sunday’s loss to the Houston Texans despite suffering an apparent head injury, with the staff utilizing smelling salts to aid Allen get back into the game.
Allen was injured in the fourth quarter of the 23-20 loss to the Texans on October 6, when he was smacked hard after releasing the ball and bouncing his head off the turf. Allen was taken to the sidelines and then to the medical tent for evaluation, but he returned to the field later in the quarter and stayed until the completion of the game.
The Bills are receiving growing criticism for their choice, particularly in light of recent high-profile quarterback head injuries.
The Bills were criticized for rushing Josh Allen back into the game.
Allen’s injury appeared serious at first, with the quarterback lying face down on the turf and unmoving for a few moments before the team’s medical personnel arrived on the field to examine him. Allen was able to sit up shortly after and walk to the sidelines on his own, first sitting on a bench before being escorted to the medical evaluation tent.
After the Bills forced a turnover, backup Mitch Trubisky stepped in for the first play of the ensuing drive, but Allen returned quickly. Before he entered, the CBS broadcast showed a member of the team’s staff delivering smelling salts, a mixture of ammonia and other chemicals intended to resuscitate patients who had been injured or lost consciousness.
Emmanuel Acho, a former NFL player turned analyst, condemned the team’s choice.
“We all witnessed Josh Allen appear to be knocked out, but they just threw him a smelling salt and put him right back in the game. As if that will reverse the head trauma he had just experienced,” Acho stated in a post on X.
Others attacked the NFL’s concussion protocol, which includes an initial review by an independent doctor to evaluate if a player can return to the game.
“If they let Josh Allen return to the game after he blatantly banged his head on the turf, the entire concussion protocol is defective. “He appeared to be out,” wrote former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel in a post on X.
The league has already faced criticism after Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained two documented concussions during the 2022 season, including what many believed to be another concussion in a game against the Bills that was ruled a back ailment.
Josh Allen is in the clear.
Despite the criticism, it does not appear that Allen sustained a head injury on the play, and he may not miss any time this week. The Bills quarterback informed reporters after the game that he took a “big shot to the chest” on the play and rolled his ankle, and head coach Sean McDermott confirmed on Monday that Allen is fine.
“Sean McDermott has reiterated that Josh Allen was medically cleared to return yesterday,” Alaina Getzenberg wrote on X, adding, “And that he is not in concussion protocol today.”
Leave a Reply