The 2025 season is a wildly important one for the Buffalo Bills. For too long, they’ve consistently been the bridesmaid, but never the bride themselves. Last year was another loss in the AFC Championship Game to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. However, in retrospect, a team going through a soft reset, going as far as they did, was already a victory for Buffalo.
Now, with a cleaner cap situation and a ton of additions to the defense in the offseason, the Bills have no excuses going into the year. As a result, head coach Sean McDermott will be hoping his players, led by reigning MVP Josh Allen, are in prime form by the time the season rolls around. To make that reality, is he going to deploy his starters in Week 1 of the preseason against the New York Giants?
How Much Will Josh Allen and Key Bills Starters Play Against the Giants in Preseason Week 1?
Like years past, fans in Buffalo are going to be disappointed, as their superstar quarterback won’t be lining up behind center against New York. In a typical McDermott game plan, the injury risk to a physical player like Allen is too steep to afford.
As a result, Mitch Trubisky is getting the nod to start, with Mike White serving as his backup. However, as far as the rest of the starters are concerned, the official website of the Bills confirmed, their playing time is going to be one quarter, “give or take.”
Since taking over the head coaching job, McDermott has followed this formula for his starters and Allen, in particular. As the regular season opens in a rematch of their Divisional Round clash against the Baltimore Ravens, keeping Allen ready is the key to Buffalo’s success.
But even without Allen, the fan base needs to keep an eye on two players. The first is veteran defensive end Joey Bosa. Buffalo’s biggest offseason acquisition this summer, his presence can immediately raise the defense to elite levels.
Injuries are a concern, but a small sample size against the Giants might give the fans a taste of what to expect when he’s on the field. The other name to watch out for is rookie tight end Jackson Hawes.
Josh Allen will not play Saturday in Preseason Week 1 vs the Giants.
More updates from Coach McDermott: https://t.co/cW5gyVNTCa pic.twitter.com/WHVTI0xbh4
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 7, 2025
A fifth-round pick in 2025, he has impressed coaches and teammates alike with his work in the offseason so far. He’ll get a lot of reps in his first preseason game, as he gets familiarized with the offensive scheme.
His performance against New York could go a long way in securing him a major role on the team in his debut season.
