Allen briefly exits Bills’ win, hails Trubisky for quick help

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The sight in the first quarter was rare: Josh Allen running off the field injured and replaced by backup Mitch Trubisky.

His absence, however, was brief as the star Buffalo Bills quarterback missed only two plays with a bloody nose before returning to the field and leading them to a 30-10 victory over the New York Jets to improve to 2-0. Allen has not missed a start or significant time in a game due to injury since his rookie year.

When he first got to the podium after Sunday’s game, Allen — with a portion of his nose visibly bruised — was asked how it was. He said, “We can breathe, so it’s good.”

Allen decided to keep the ball on second-and-7 from the Buffalo 23 with 1:52 left in the quarter, and as he went to the ground for no gain, it appeared that a hand made contact with his nose in an attempt to tackle him.

He then motioned that he needed to come off the field and sprinted to the sideline as he took his helmet off and blood gushed from his nose. He then sat on a cooler as several athletic trainers surrounded him.

“Pulled it when I probably should have handed it off,” Allen said. “I tried to throw it, and I saw him push, decided to tuck it. I don’t know what hit me. It was a knee, it was a hand, it was somebody, helmet. It just kind of came down right on the bridge of my nose and just started leaking.”

Trubisky then came in with the clock ticking and threw a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Joshua Palmer with cornerback Sauce Gardner in coverage. Running back Ty Johnson picked up 2 yards on the following play, and then Allen returned to start the second quarter.

“It’s tough, because you should go down there to give Mitch a chance to kind of catch his bearings, to be able to come out there,” Allen said. “Obviously, gushing blood. I just wanted to try to get off the field and stop it, and for him to come off the bench like that and no warmup, no nothing, to be ready. I think that’s a true embodiment of the character and the man that he is coming in there and making a play on third down for us. That was a huge drive. It was a huge play. So, shout out Mitch.”

Teammates around the locker lauded Allen’s toughness, but also Trubisky’s preparedness.

“It just shows the type of team we have, and everybody’s prepared no matter what,” cornerback Tre’Davious White said. “So, that was a great sign for us. But Mitch is a great player, but Josh is Josh. But whenever you can have a guy that come in and keep third down and make big-time throw when he hadn’t been in the game at all, it just shows the way that we prepare as a team.”

On Allen’s return to the game, defensive end Greg Rousseau added: “[Allen’s] a dog. Always gonna lay it on the line on the field.”

Trubisky came back in for Allen with 8:23 left in the game, but that was due to the outcome largely being decided. Allen finished the game 14-of-25 passing for 148 yards and had six rushes for 59 yards. He was sacked once.