Buffalo Rumblings
Bills hope to get Cooper back; Chiefs hope to get Smith-Schuster; both will be without other offensive weapons
The Buffalo Bills are preparing to host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. It’s the most anticipated game of the week. The Chiefs are undefeated. The Bills were supposed to be contending for a wild card spot at best, according to “preseason experts.”
But here we are with the Bills as the two seed in the conference and having the AFC East locked up in all ways except on paper. They’ve done all of this with what many said was an inferior roster — and whether you believe that or not, no one can argue that the roster has been riddled with holes due to injury.
While this week it looks a little better than past weeks, there are still plenty of injuries to monitor.
Despite how it looks at first glance, this section has more good than bad in it. The obvious good is that linebacker Matt Milano is now on the injury list — this doesn’t happen until a player’s 21-day practice window is opened as they work their way back from Injured Reserve (you can read more about that here). Milano won’t play this weekend — head coach Sean McDermott already said that — but having him on the injury list is a big step in the right direction.
The other three names have been on the injury list for at least a week (some longer), but with different injuries. This week they added more injuries to their names. However, only Brown didn’t get a full day of practice in. That’s right — Curtis Samuel was a full participant for the first time since Week 7. As far as Brown goes, the offensive tackle said that he’s optimistic he’ll be ready to play on Sunday.
The big news here is that Taron Johnson, who won the Week 10 AFC Defensive Player of the Week award after his pick-six, sack, and tackle for a loss, as the Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts, is not on the injury list. This is the first time in 10 weeks we don’t see Johnson’s name.
Brown is also listed here as it’s important to note that he’s no longer receiving medical attention for a wrist injury he had been dealing with in Weeks 9 and 10. Also now healed is tight end Dawson Knox who had been dealing with an ankle injury for the past two weeks.
Buffalo Bills players on the Week 11 injury...
