Carucci Take 2: After Josh Allen’s cameo, decisions about playing time in the Bills’ regular-season finale become more difficult

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Here are five thoughts from the Buffalo Bills ahead of the team’s meaningless regular-season finale against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium:

1. When it comes to who plays how much, Sean McDermott will be doing something of a balancing act.

McDermott’s simplest decision is to give Josh Allen the one snap he wants on the Bills’ first offensive play so Allen can extend his NFL-leading streak for consecutive starts by active quarterbacks to 115. Let Allen take a snap (preferably from the shotgun formation). he doesn’t have to fall back), hand him off and go straight to the sideline, where he will spend the rest of the game. After that, Mitch Trubisky and Mike White can split time at QB while Allen remains on ice for the postseason.

Things get a little trickier with the rest of the squad. Most starters will spend most of the game watching rather than playing. But there are some exceptions. McDermott said he might be inclined to allow injured safety Damar Hamlin a full game or at least close to it. Hamlin is dealing with a rib injury, but McDermott wants Hamlin to get enough action so he enters the playoffs with greater physical and mental readiness.

Taylor Rapp, who is dealing with a neck injury, is expected to be at safety alongside Hamlin for the same reason. The same goes for defenseman Cam Lewis, who suffered a shoulder injury.

2. The game is the Bills’ only opportunity to get something like a bye before the postseason.

It’s not as beneficial as an actual bye that goes to the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs. Your players will have more time to rest and heal.

However, the second-seeded Bills got at least some rest and recovery for most of their starters in practice this week, and the same will be the case on Sunday. They should be helpful before taking the longest route to the Super Bowl.

3. Josh Allen’s case for NFL MVP is over. The question now is: Will it be strong enough to win?

Those of us on the voting panel for Associated Press player awards and All-Pro selections make our decisions based solely on regular-season performance. In Allen’s case, that’s 16 games, regardless of his start against the Patriots.

He has played at an MVP-worthy level in most games since October. It’s fair to say this will resonate strongly with voters.

It’s also fair to say that two other quarterbacks in the running for MVP – Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow – can strengthen their candidacies as their teams have meaningful games on Saturday. Allen’s success this season could still rival anything the competition is doing, but the circumstances created by the Bills being seeded No. 2 last weekend may give Jackson and Burrow an advantage.

Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley, who is also heavily in the MVP discussion, will be ruled out when the Eagles face the New York Giants on Sunday, so his case will also be based on the 16 games in which he has more than 2,000 yards achieved.

4. The fact that the Bills only had two players selected to the Pro Bowl, Josh Allen and Dion Dawkins, isn’t entirely surprising.

They are not a team full of star power. The story of their season is how they exceeded modest expectations by overcoming the offseason departures of key players, winning their fifth straight AFC East title and being considered serious Super Bowl contenders.

Still, a case could be made for at least one and possibly two more Bills Pro Bowlers. I think the most obvious one was cornerback Christian Benford. A respected longtime NFL pro scout recently told me that he views Benford as the Bills’ best defensive player.

Another Pro Bowl possibility was running back James Cook, who acknowledged the oversight on social media.

5. The Bills’ likely wild-card opponent is the Denver Broncos, who advance to the game at Highmark Stadium with a win or draw against a Chiefs team that won’t be playing Patrick Mahomes and many other starters.

The Broncos would arguably be the best choice among the Bills’ three potential wild card opponents, including Cincinnati and Miami. The Broncos have a solid quarterback in Bo Nix, but he’s a rookie who would be making his first NFL playoff start… on the road… against Josh Allen.

The Bengals have the hottest QB in the NFL in Joe Burrow, who have two of the best receivers in the league in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. If the Dolphins have a healthy Tua Tagovailoa, they could give the Bills a run for their money as division opponents in the teams’ third meeting this season.