For the first time in his professional career, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has a strong chance of going all the way to Super Bowl LX. However, the team’s first step to success, a wild-card road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, has met with major injury setbacks, as updated by head coach Sean McDermott.

Whenever Josh Allen misses any of his weapons, it’s a trouble for the Bills’ offense. The head coach dropped a list of players he is ruling out for the wild-card matchup and named others who he will still want to see in another practice this Friday. Here is how the Bills’ offense’s injury report is looking:

• Wide receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle injury): Since Buffalo brought him in, he has become the third-best player in the receiver corps, averaging 303 yards on 22 receptions. However, his 13.8 yards per reception is what strengthens Allen’s long throws.
  But, he hasn’t practiced this week and now sits with a questionable tag ahead of the game. Palmer previously missed Weeks 13-15 with ankle issues and has been plagued by injury the entire season.
• Running back Ty Johnson (ankle injury): Although not McDermott’s first choice for the ground game, Johnson adds a good enough support for the running game. In the regular season, he has added 200 yards on 50 attempts for three touchdowns. He has also added two scores with 263 yards in 24 receptions.
  However, he did not participate on Wednesday when the Bills held a walk-through practice. While he did not participate on Thursday, he had limited participation on Friday. He is currently questionable for the game.
• Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee): Kincaid has been a one-man wrecking crew when he’s on the field and provides a winning chance to the team. Just take the example of their 12-13 narrow loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. The offense was nowhere to be seen and scored less than half of their season average of over 26.72 points per game.
  This season, the TE has managed 571 yards and five touchdowns on 39 receptions. His 67.3 percent success rate would be something that Allen might need against the league’s ninth-best defense in the Jaguars. He had limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday but was a full participant on Friday. His status isn’t available for the weekend clash.

Moreover, Kicker Matt Prater is suffering from a quad injury. He did not participate on Wednesday and Friday, the latter being a usual strategy for him. He was a full participant on Friday but remains questionable. However, it looks like Buffalo will have its reliable kicker back in action for the big game.

At the same time, Josh Allen himself has had a nagging foot injury, but he has played through it and was a full participant in all the practices to prepare to win his first playoff road matchup at EverBank Stadium. While these were the only pain points on offense for the wild-card game, the defense has many more names.

Injury report for the Bills’ defense and the Jaguars

Cornerback Maxwell Hairston hasn’t practiced all week with an ankle injury and will not suit up for Sunday. Linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf) hasn’t practiced either and shares the same fate as Hairston.

Moreover, safety Damar Hamlin was designated to return from the IR after his pectoral injury, offering a brief ray of hope. But he has been limited in practice all week and isn’t ready to join the active roster after all. DE Joey Bosa is also suffering from a hamstring issue. While he had full practices on Wednesday and Thursday, he was limited on Friday. Overall, 16 players appear on the Bills’ injury report.

On the other hand, the Jagurs only have six names on their IR. Their OL Cole Van Lanen is questionable due to his knee injury. OL Patrick Mekari (back) and CB Greg Newsome II (shoulder) were limited with no specified status. Adding to the list with full participations were DE Danny Striggow (elbow/ ankle) and CB Jarrian Jones (Illness), and they may appear in the game.

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Even with a banged-up roster, seemingly, the biggest question mark isn’t on the injury report for the Bills. Instead, it concerns Josh Allen.

Josh Allen’s self-inflicted reality check

At the suggestion of the Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Allen spent his week in self-reflection. But once he was done and returned to practice on Wednesday, January 7, he didn’t like what he found.

“You’re sitting there like, ‘God I stink.’ It’s like, ‘What am I thinking here? What am I doing?’” Allen admitted about his film review. “There’s so much out there that I’ve missed. Whether it’s getting a little lazy with my feet and not taking a check down and maybe instead trying to force something downfield. Or throwing the ball away and not take sacks and allowing us to be in field-goal range. There’s still so much room to improve.”

The concern might be a revelation for Allen, but it is a known fact for McDermott and more. While Allen is a stellar dual threat on the field, he doesn’t stop as most of the quarterbacks do after making a run for it. Instead, he would rather be stopped by a tackle just so he can cover more ground. It is a commendable skill, no doubt. However, a QB is supposed to be protected at all times, even if he self-admittedly takes pain as motivation.

Moreover, the reigning MVP has already got impressive numbers to back his play. He has 39 total regular-season touchdowns, ranks seventh in QBR (64.7), and completes almost 70% of his passes. But it is hard to ignore that the forced throws and the 40 sacks he absorbed this season have been a steep climb from last season’s 14. His interception rate also tells the real story, which has jumped to 2.2% this year.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars are coming off an eight-game win streak into the playoffs. In that stretch, their quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, has thrown 29 touchdowns while adding nine more scores on the ground. Buffalo needs the best version of Allen to snatch a victory from Jacksonville, especially as road playoff games haven’t come easy to them. Thankfully, Allen understands the project:

“Every team that we’re playing here on out is a good team, and it’s no different this week,” Allen admitted. “I have this extra emphasis on points being at a premium in the playoffs, and just trying to do everything I can to give us points.”