Are Josh Allen, Bills' starters playing in preseason Week 3? Here's what we know

Here's what we know about the statuses of quarterback Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills' starters for NFL Preseason Week 3.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) during warmups before a preseason game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills will close out their preseason on Saturday night with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.

The Bills are coming off a dreadful performance in preseason Week 2 in which they were embarrassed by the Chicago Bears, but the silver lining is Buffalo didn't play their starters in the contest.

After two weeks of sitting their starters for exhibition contests, will we see quarterback Josh Allen and the starters on Saturday night?

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Here's what we know.

Is Josh Allen playing tonight?

No, Josh Allen won't be playing in the Bills' preseason finale against the Bucs, head coach Sean McDermott confirmed.

McDermott's decision is based on two reasons: he's protecting the team's most important player, and he feels Allen's showing during the offseason has been good enough to not need preseason reps.

"I also have a responsibility as well to protect him and in doing so, protect our team. I think he's on schedule, and he's looked good," McDermott said of Allen.

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"That's my job is to adjust as need be. You've got the reigning MVP, and I feel like he's shown to this point that he's in a good spot," McDermott added.

This marks the first time Allen hasn't taken a preseason snap during his career.

Aug 17, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) is seen during warmups before the pre-season game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Are Bills starters playing tonight?

While McDermott gave a definitive answer on Allen, he wasn't as clear when it comes to the rest of the team's starters.

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"It's hard to say and make a blanket statement yes to everything or no to everything, but I think it's more on an individual basis who we feel like we need to still see, who has not been out there enough," McDermott said of the ones.

If we're making an educated guess here, we would say the Bills will, at the very least, sit the majority of their starters on Saturday night.

Aug 15, 2025; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott addresses the media at Halas Hall before joint training camp practice with the Chicago Bears ahead of Sunday's preseason game. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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