Josh Allen injury update: What it means for the Bills and his NFL career

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen suffered what looked to be a serious injury against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. Allen, who was one rushing touchdown away from surpassing Cam Newton's record, was barely able to walk off the field under his own power.

Allen hasn't dealt with many injuries in his career despite his style of play. It's why pundits like me can predict that he'll finish his Hall-of-Fame career with over 100 touchdowns. However, those projections are fully based on Allen staying healthy. Unfortunately, Thursday night showcased the worst of what could come of Allen's career.

Josh Allen injury update: How long will Bills QB be out?

Allen was able to walk off the field on his own. That's a good sign of what's to come. However, Allen runs the football more than most quarterbacks. There's a reason he can pass Newton for the most rushing touchdowns for a QB this early in his career. With that comes some risk, and it's why Allen has to watch himself moving forward.

Unfortunately for Allen and Bills fans, his dual-threat presence plays a big role in the Buffalo offense. While Allen can beat just about any team with his arm, it's his ability to run the football that catches opponents off-guard, and that includes one of the top defenses in the league in the Houston Texans.

Josh Allen returned to the game

The Bills have Mitch Trubisky for just this reason, but Allen was able to return to the game without missing much time. Frankly, Allen's style of play lends itself to some concerns. Earlier on Thursday, I tried to predict how many rushing touchdowns Allen – who has 75 on his career, tied with Cam Newton for the most all-time by a quarterback – would finish with.

What's tough about that exercise is that as talented as Allen is, he doesn't use much caution. My projection of 120-plus rushing touchdowns is only valid if Allen slides in the appropriate amount of time, and ensures he doesn't injure himself by taking unnecessary hits. Against Houston, he took one, and we saw the result.

He was okay this time around. Will that be the case in the future?