The Bills came into Thursday night’s preseason opener with a plan and that plan called for Josh Allen to get in a lot of throwing before giving way to Matt Barkley.
The Bills called for passes on 15 of the 17 plays they ran during Allen’s first two series. He was 6-of-11 for 66 yards through the air with two plays wiped out by penalties, a sack and a scramble accounting for the plays that don’t show up on that line.
Allen’s development as a passer is crucial to the Bills’ chances this season and their offensive approach on Thursday night made it clear that the team will do whatever they can to boost that process.
Allen would have thrown fewer passes and avoided the sack had wide receiver Zay Jones held onto a ball thrown to him on the goal line. Jones dropped it and took a hit to the head, which led to a trip to the medical tent on the sideline. Jones eventually returned to the locker room for further evaluation of a head injury.
UPDATE 8:14 p.m. ET: Jones was cleared after a concussion evaluation, but will not return to the game now that backups are in on both sides.