Bills quarterback Josh Allen played through a serious elbow injury during the second half of the season, but he won’t need surgery and is expected to make a full recovery, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports. The injury is reportedly a partially torn UCL along with related tendon and muscle injuries.
Allen first suffered the injury in the Bills’ Week 9 loss to the Jets. At the time, it was reported that the team evaluated Allen for UCL and nerve damage after the game, but he was diagnosed with a sprained elbow instead.
The Bills quarterback didn’t miss a game following the injury, instead playing through the ailment with a brace for multiple weeks. The elbow issue impacted Allen’s mechanics, but doctors believed he could avoid surgery as long as he didn’t aggravate the injury, according to Rapoport.
As a result, Allen chose to skip participating in the Pro Bowl.
Allen finished the season with a slightly down year compared to his previous two seasons, but he still put up numbers that rivaled the best in the league. The Buffalo quarterback totaled 4,283 passing yards with 35 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions, along with 762 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.
The Bills ended the season with a 13-3 record but lost to the Bengals, 27-10, at home in the divisional round of the playoffs.
