Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills have had, maybe, more than their share of bumps and bruises this season. From starters spending the season on Injured Reserve (IR), to defensive stars in and out of the lineup weekly, to receivers who can’t keep a pair of healthy legs between them.
So, it’s no surprise that their Week 18 Injury Report looks like a roster, not a list. However, despite having 15 names on the list, only six enter the weekend with a designation – and of those, only three are for sure not playing as the Bills take the field at the original Highmark Stadium for what may end up being the final time.
Let’s start with the news we’ve all been looking for: Josh Allen is going to start Week 18. I don’t know that any of us doubted that he would at least hobble out there, take a snap, hand it off, and hobble back to the sideline. But it’s official now. In fact, there’s a possibility Allen could do more than that. Don’t be surprised if you see Allen come back into the game should the Bills get into the red zone, and he has a chance for that 40th touchdown. According to this report – and head coach Sean McDermott’s pre-practice press conference – Allen is good to go.
Now, for the guys who won’t get one last turn in “The Ralph.” We already knew that linebacker Terrell Bernard wasn’t going to play, and we suspected the same for safety Jordan Poyer and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones. Now it’s official. The Bills will have to rotate defensive backs Cam Lewis and Jordan Hancock in and out at safety. It will be Shaq Thompson in again at linebacker, and Buffalo’s line will be down a defensive tackle (two if you count Ed Oliver who’s still on IR).
The Bills could be down two defensive tackles as Jordan Phillips is listed as questionable. However, Phillips had a full practice on Friday, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him out there Sunday.
In fact, I think whether anyone listed as questionable plays or not has more to do with what happens in the one-o’clock games than anything. Tight end Dalton Kincaid will be questionable until August. But if Allen is going to play and there’s a shot at the five seed open, he will play. If not, it’s a good chance he gets a bye week. Defensive end Joey Bosa has some incentives he may want to look at this week. One sack will earn him another $250k, so if his hamstring isn’t tight and the weather is just right, he may be out there for a while.
The big thing will be not collecting any new injuries this week as it’s win-or-go-home every week after this. It would be nice to have all hands (and legs) on deck, but it looks more like a matter of whether there’s enough tape, braces, and ice in Western New York to keep this...
