"A Developing True Crime Story": Josh Allen’s Awkward Smelling Salts Moment Has NFL Fans Talking

Josh Allen gave Buffalo Bills fans plenty to celebrate on Sept. 17, 2026. He scored five touchdowns as Buffalo beat the Detroit Lions 41-31 in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium. But an unusual moment on the sideline quickly became another talking point.

Amazon Prime cameras showed Allen appearing to chew smelling salts while getting ready to return to the field. The clip spread online, with fans questioning whether the Bills quarterback had just broken an NFL rule.

Josh Allen's Smelling Salts Moment Sparks Hilarious Fan Reactions

The confusion came from the NFL's smelling-salts policy. Before the 2025 season, the league stopped teams and club personnel from providing or supplying ammonia inhalants during games, pregame activities and halftime. The policy followed concerns that the products could mask some concussion symptoms.

However, the NFL did not ban players from using their own smelling salts. The NFL Players Association clarified in August 2025 that the policy “does not prohibit player use of these substances.” The NFL also confirmed that interpretation to the union.

So, the clip alone did not show that Allen had broken the rule. The key question under the policy is whether the team supplied the product.

Fans quickly turned the unusual scene into a joke.

One fan described Buffalo's performance by writing, “What the Bills are doing to the Lions is a developing true crime story.”

Another joked, “Uh oh! Gonna be an investigation into this! The NFL banned teams from providing smelling salts to players. He better have proof he brought them himself.”

The third fan added intriguing reaction,“Thought buddy had a lip pillow in when I was watching live.”

Another fan joked, “I knew it when the Lions still listed ‘Kelvin Shepard' as their DC.”

You knew Josh Allen was gonna light up the Lions when he was chewing on a smelling salt pic.twitter.com/ALrqoTTbhr

— NFL Memes (@NFLMemes) September 18, 2026

The comments added another layer to a night that already had plenty happening on the field.

Josh Allen Scores Five Touchdowns In Historic Highmark Stadium Opener

Allen made history before the night was over. On Buffalo's opening drive, he ran one yard into the end zone for the first touchdown in the history of the new Highmark Stadium.

The quarterback kept the Lions' defence under pressure throughout the game. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns. Allen also rushed for 69 yards and two touchdowns, giving him five scores in total.

Buffalo built a 21-0 lead and eventually secured the 41-31 victory. The result moved the Bills to 2-0, while Detroit dropped to 1-1. The five-touchdown performance gave Allen a memorable opening night in the Bills' new home. One more fan summed up the excitement online, writing, “Josh Allen throws something in the trash and it goes in y'all are speculating SB.”

The smelling-salts clip may have started the social media chatter, but Allen's performance gave Buffalo an even bigger reason to celebrate.