Allen landed on IR in October after a pectoral damage that was initially regarded as season-ending. Optimism grew after medical doctors found throughout surgical procedure that his pectoral was solely partially torn. He was able to return to practice on Dec. 18, giving him sufficient time to ramp up and return to the sector earlier than the top of the season.
The 2-time Professional Bowler was off to a barely slower begin than earlier years, notching simply 15 tackles and a couple of.0 sacks in his first six video games. Washington’s run protection nonetheless suffered with out him; the Commanders have surrendered 2,061 speeding yards thus far this season, the fifth-most within the NFL.
Washington has relied on two current second-round picks — Phidarian Mathis and Jer’Zhan Newton — to fill the void left by Allen’s absence. The Commanders waived Mathis earlier on Saturday, signaling that Allen would quickly be headed again to the energetic roster. He’ll rejoin fellow Professional Bowler Daron Payne on the inside of Washington’s line of defense. Payne has began all 15 video games, although his 68% snap share is a career-low.
Allen and Payne will hope to anchor the Commanders protection towards the Falcons on Sunday evening. A win would clinch Washington’s first playoff look since 2020, a formidable end result after an organizational overhaul resulted in a brand new proprietor, head coach and rookie quarterback.
