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Alaina GetzenbergESPN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — It’s the toes for Josh Allen.
When the Buffalo BillsBecause quarterbacks play in the elements and need to be comfortable, it is important that his feet are not hurt.
“I don’t know why I get bad circulation within my feet,” Allen said. “My toes get really cold and they go numb a little bit, so keeping those suckers as warm and as dry as possible as well as the hands.”
Frosty weather is a possibility when the Bills host. New England PatriotsSaturday’s wild-card round will take place at 8:15 p.m. ET, CBS), with a low of 2°F and wind gusts up to 13 mph per AccuWeather. It could feel as cold as minus-6 degrees. The third meeting between the Bills & Patriots will take place in 41 days, after splitting the regular-season series. This is the shortest time frame to face a single opponent in Bills’ history, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
Many fans will be there to enjoy the weather. Bills will hold a home playoff game for the first-time since 1996. Buffalo hosted two playoff games last season — their first in 25 years— But had limited capacity due COVID-19.
While the home crowd is good news for the Bills — they have a 12-3 record in home playoff games, tied with the Seattle SeahawksAllen is unable to host at least 10 playoff matches at home for the second-best team.
The quarterback’s accuracy has been down lately, with him completing 49.3% of passes in his past two games — both at home. Allen’s completion percentage is 50.3% in his five career starts. He has thrown six touchdowns and seven interceptions, while completing 49.3% of passes during freezing game-time temperatures. This is the second-lowest number of 41 quarterbacks to have at least five such starts.Tim Tebow42%) in the last 15 years. Allen was dismissed three times or more in three of these games.
“It’s not fun getting hit in the cold; it’s not fun catching hard passes in the cold,” Allen said. “Getting off the ground, it’s a little more exhausting throughout the course of the game. … Just trying to get used to that, and it’s more of a mental barrier than it is a physical barrier, if anything.”
Allen’s five games were played in freezing temperatures. The Bills went 3-2 and won two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Carolina PanthersAnd Atlanta Falcons.
Allen has not been sacked once in the Bills’ past three games, a first in his career. They were able to run with running back Devin SingletaryThe Patriots defense has allowed the Bills to have the second-lowest completion percentage. This will make Allen an important player.
Buffalo has been using colder footballs over the course of the week. The heat has been turned off and the doors opened when they are practicing inside. Buffalo was also out at the stadium on Thursday. But there’s no way to replicate single-digit temperatures with everything on the line.
“Just enjoy it. It’s going to be cold on Saturday,” defensive end Jerry Hughes said. “But, you know, with [Bills Mafia] in that stadium, getting loud, it’s going to feel warm.”