Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave updates Monday afternoon on the health status of QB Josh Allen, CB Taron Johnson and DE Dawuane Smooth.
Allen, who hurt his non-throwing hand at the end of Week 1, has been "cleared to practice and play" Thursday night against Miami according to McDermott. Allen will practice Monday afternoon with no restrictions, according to McDermott.
Meanwhile, Taron Johnson, who left early in the first quarter and did not return with a forearm injury, has been ruled out for Thursday night. Johnson will continue to be evaluated and McDermott said he is unsure at this time of Johnson's timeline to returning.
For Allen, the Bills don't expect the QB to be limited this week, barring a setback leading up to the game.
"I don't think so, he was able to do it," McDermott said of Allen's ability to complete handoffs under center.
Buffalo also ruled out DE Dawuane Smoot (toe) for Week 2. Smoot did not play Week 1.
Post practice update: Josh Allen was a full participant. Click here for full injury report.
PRACTICE NOTES SEPT. 9
Two rookies and pre-snap change impress OC Joe Brady in Week 1 win
One of the best pre-snap plays QB Josh Allen made in Buffalo's Week 1 34-28 victory came on the game-tying touchdown to start the third quarter. Allen identified that the Cardinals were going to send a third-down blitz in man coverage with no safety help over the middle.
The quarterback pointed to his helmet to alert the play to the rest of the offense and change the play call. The end result: a beautifully thrown ball to WR Mack Hollins who beat his man on a slant route for the touchdown.
"Josh, just understanding the intent of the play call and knowing what we're expecting to be getting, and if we get it, hey, make sure you get into the alert," offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. "And he did a great job of getting us out of the play and getting to the alert — the second play in the play call."
Added Brady: "Dalton and Dawson doing a great job of getting on the ball, off the ball. There's so much that goes into it besides just catching it and making the throw and catch. Just everyone doing their job."
Brady also came away impressed with the rookie debuts of WR Keon Coleman and RB Ray Davis. Coleman led the Bills in receiving yards and targets in his first NFL game, while Davis totaled 27 total yards on four touches.
"That's kind of who they are, right? Nothing's too big for them," Brady said.
Davis gained all 27 of those yards on two plays on the opening drive of the third quarter, a 14-yard reception followed by a 13-yard run. Allen threw the game-tying touchdown to Hollins on the same drive.
"Ray obviously did a great job on the check down. There's four guys covering Dalton and he does something with the ball in his hands. And the next play, great opportunity, and makes a guy miss on the run."
Coleman had a spectacular 28-yard grab down the sideline later in the game to set up Allen's second touchdown rush to put Buffalo up two scores.
"That was a huge play in the game. And that gave us some energy that we kind of needed at that point," Brady said.
Babich: Bills D' improved once they 'got a feel for the game'
Week 1 is always full of on-the-fly adjustments as teams get a feel for what teams have carried over from the previous season and what new wrinkles have been added.
That was the case for the Bills defense which surrendered 17 points and nearly 200 yards in the first half as they learned how the Cardinals were planning to attack them. As they got more information on what their opponent was doing well, the Bills began to adjust.
"Going into the first game, there's a lot of unknowns, right? Weren't exactly sure how much of what was shown last year was going to show this year and then what was going to be new. So we tried to make sure we had a lot of things handled in the first half, and then got a feel for the game," Babich said.
The adjustments — being better on third downs and limited Kyler Murray's pocket mobility — were evident as Buffalo allowed just 80 yards in the second half and just 28 yards in the fourth quarter.
"We went to halftime, had a good feel for what was going on, and made the proper adjustments," Babich said.
