ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Josh Allen鈥檚 sore right foot feels better, and as Buffalo prepares to open the playoffs on the road for the first time in six years.
With the exception of a game-opening handoff in a regular season-ending 35-8 win over the Jets on Sunday to extend his starting streak to 135 games, Allen got the weekend off to rest and spend time poring over video to assess his season.
What stood out most, Allen said upon returning to practice Wednesday, were the plays he missed.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e sitting there like, 鈥楪od, I stink.鈥� It鈥檚 like, 鈥榃hat am I thinking here? What am I doing?鈥欌�� he said with a laugh.
Allen was hardly that bad.
The eighth-year starter and reigning MVP finished second among quarterbacks with 39 touchdowns (25 passing, 14 rushing) and led five fourth-quarter comebacks 鈥� two when trailing by double digits. At 29, he became the NFL鈥檚 first player to have a hand in 300 touchdowns before turning 30.
Nevertheless, Allen’s self-scouting was beneficial in showing areas where the perfectionist QB can improve ahead of the playoffs. Buffalo (12-5) .
For Allen, there鈥檚 footwork to address. He saw times where he forced passes instead of checking it down to an open receiver. And he took a career-high 40 sacks, reminding him of the benefits of throwing the ball away.
Allen practiced fully for the first time since in a 23-20 win at Cleveland on Dec. 21. He’ll be facing a Jaguars defense that ranked first against the run and finished second in the NFL with 22 interceptions.
鈥淓very team that we鈥檙e playing here on out is a good team and it鈥檚 no different this week,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淚 have this extra emphasis on points are at a premium in the playoffs and just trying to do everything I can to give us points.”
There鈥檚 plenty on the line for Allen and a Bills team has fallen short in the playoffs over the past six years.
Allen has a 7-6 postseason record and has advanced to the AFC championship game twice, both losses to Kansas City. The Bills are also 0-5 on the road in seven playoff appearances since coach Sean McDermott took over, starting with a 10-3 loss at Jacksonville in the 2017 wild-card round, a year before Allen’s arrival.
Not including two neutral-site Super Bowl losses, the Bills have lost eight straight road playoff games since winning at Miami in the 1992 AFC championship game. That skid is the NFL鈥檚 second-longest behind the Detroit Lions, who have dropped 12 straight postseason road games.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not focused on what鈥檚 happened in the past,鈥� Allen said. 鈥淥ur job is to play the Jacksonville Jaguars at 1 o鈥檆lock on Sunday, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to do.鈥�
In 13 playoff games, Allen has averaged 258 yards passing, combined for 33 touchdowns (25 passing, seven rushing and one receiving) and turned the ball over six times, with four interceptions and two lost fumbles.
鈥淭his is how he is every year at this time of year. He鈥檚 very dialed in, very focused,鈥� McDermott said.
It was coordinator Joe Brady鈥檚 idea to have Allen spend last week studying video.
鈥淚 thought it was something to put on his radar, just to refresh some things,鈥� Brady said.
鈥淚 thought he did an outstanding job of being honest and truthful,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 think it helped both physically and mentally.鈥�
___
AP NFL:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
