The Buffalo Bills are getting familiar with having to make this decision.
What do you do with Josh Allen once a playoff spot is clinched?
It's a question every winning NFL team has to answer late in the regular season. There's a balance between maintaining a rhythm and protecting a quarterback's health.
QB is the most important position in sports. For most teams, especially the Bills with Allen, big hopes for the season would go away with an injury.
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It's not that the odds of injury are that immense. But this is football. Injuries happen.
Just a week ago, Allen limped off at halftime before returning in the second half.
He has recovered from that ailment and is good to go for Week 17 against the Eagles. And the Bills weren't going to sit him for Week 17 anyway, not with a chance to lock up a superior wild card spot.
But what about Week 18? The Bills have done this all different kinds of ways, including starting Allen just to keep his consecutive games streak alive before removing him immediately.
It'll be something to keep an eye on over the next 10 days. The Bills have to get this right.
The AFC is wide open this year. It's a season that feels like it is genuinely set up for Allen to lead the Bills to the Super Bowl.
But for Allen to do that, he needs to be on the field in the playoffs.
If that means sitting him a bit across these final two games, it's worth considering. The season is about winning the final game, not these ones that come before.
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