Buffalo Rumblings
The Bills Week 9 win came at a cost.
The Buffalo Bills walked out of Week 9 with a huge win over the Miami Dolphins, a four-game lead in the AFC East, in possession of the second seed in the conference, and — of course — a whole new laundry list of injuries.
On Monday, head coach Sean McDermott said that defensive end Dawuane Smoot will be placed on the team’s Injured Reserve (IR) list. Smoot left Sunday’s game clutching his wrist. After initially being ruled questionable, the veteran who is on a one-year contract with the Bills, headed to the locker room for x-rays and was downgraded to out.
McDermott said that he hopes to have Smoot back on the field before the end of the season, but as they won’t know the extent of the damage until he undergoes surgery, the Bills’ coach said not to “quote me on that.”
Another big injury for the Bills was also of the wrist variety. This one was to rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman. Coleman was trying to haul in a Josh Allen pass in the fourth quarter. Former Bills safety Jordan Poyer launched himself at Coleman in an attempt to ensure that the rookie couldn’t hang onto the football. The result was Poyer’s helmet slammed into the rookie’s hand and wrist.
Coleman left the game, got X-rays, and on Monday, McDermott said that he was undergoing further testing. At this time, it is unclear just how much time the wide receiver will miss, but McDermott said he is “holding out hope” that the he won’t miss too much time.
Other Bills that had to leave the game on Sunday to be evaluated included cornerback Taron Johnson who may have taken a hit to his lower back, defensive end Casey Toohill who had a knee injury, linebacker Dorian Williams was instructed by the independent spotter to complete a concussion evaluation, and cornerback Kaiir Elam who said that his shoulder “had to be popped back into place.”
All of the above players returned to play, but – with the exception of WIlliams – are likely to be on this week’s injury report in some fashion.
Another possible injury that was spotted was to quarterback Josh Allen. Allen didn’t leave the field of play but was seen shaking his throwing hand after hitting it on a Miami defender in the first half. The Buffalo quarterback never sought medical attention while in front of cameras, didn’t miss a snap, and completed the game. Whether or not he gets another injury added to his name on the weekly list, we will find out on Wednesday.
During his regular Monday press conference, McDermott also said that Amari Coope, Christian Benford, and Reggie Gilliam – all of whom missed Sunday’s game – are now considered day-to-day as the team manages their respective injuries.
Listen to McDermott’s full comments about the Bills injuries and his thoughts about Buffalo’s 30-27 Week 9 win below.
