The Buffalo Bills last official injury report ahead of their Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos reads a bit like Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales”: It’s a lengthy read with an ensemble cast. The Bills latest injury news covers 14 players, with five listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.
Bills players ruled out vs. Broncos
Earlier in the day, we covered the news that head coach Sean McDermott ruled out safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) and rookie cornerback Maxwell Hairston (ankle). It’s unfortunate news for regarding
both players, but veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White has played fantastic football in his return to One Bills Drive as a starting boundary cornerback. The Bills do lose the element of speed that Hairston brings unlike anyone else on the team’s roster. As for Poyer, it’s a huge blow to the defensive backfield given the improved play since he re-entered the starting lineup to take over for injured safety Taylor Rapp.
As noted in in our other article on this front, it remains to be seen how One Bills Drive tackles replacing Poyer on Saturday, whether that means a similar role to last Sunday’s for Hancock, or if someone among safeties Damar Hamlin (more on him below), Darnell Savage, or Sam Franklin Jr. gets an opportunity. Perhaps the most likely scenario is that veteran defensive back Cam Lewis finds his way to a bigger role in the back seven and fills in at starting safety, but it’s important to note that he primarily works at nickel cornerback behind Taron Johnson.
Now, let’s run through the rest of Buffalo’s final injury report of the week…
Bills players whose injuries won’t sideline them vs. Broncos
The encouraging news, as one would expect given the lack of breaking-new coverage this week, is that quarterback Josh Allen was again a full participant on Thursday and he has no injury designation for Saturday in Denver. In truth, Allen’s status was never in doubt even with a trio of injuries (foot/knee/throwing hand). Key for Allen against a potent Broncos defense will be limiting hits and over-extensions to each of those ailments.
Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee/calf), linebacker Matt Milano (ankle), plus defensive ends Greg Rousseau (back) and A.J. Epenesa were each listed as limited for every practice this week. Now, all four enter Saturday without any game designations. Regarding Kincaid, it’s a situation where the team continues to use a monitoring approach to allow him the flexibility to practice or sit out based on how he’s feeling each session.
In a similar regard, kicker Matt Prater (right quadriceps/right calf) and linebacker Shaq Thompson (neck) do not end the week of practice with game-day designations after having been limited and/or not practicing during this week. These are injuries that Prater and Thompson have been managing for a bit now, but Thompson had no designation for Tuesday’s walk-through session before being limited on Wednesday and Thursday.
Prater’s status was a bit unique this week, where he began prep by not practicing on Tuesday, then back to a full participant on Wednesday, before being listed as limited on Thursday. McDermott explained that while Prater was listed as a “DNP” on Tuesday (what he would have been in a full practice setting instead of a walk through), it was more about providing the necessary rest.
Bills players listed as questionable for Divisional Round
The Bills list five players as questionable for Saturday against the Broncos, which includes two active players and each of the three players still on Injured Reserve (IR) but who had their 21-day practice windows open. Linebacker Terrel Bernard (calf) practiced all week, though he did so in limited fashion — and that leaves his status as questionable this weekend. Running back Ty Johnson (ankle) was listed as a “DNP” for both Tuesday and Wednesday’s injury reports, but he logged a limited session on Thursday and enters Saturday as questionable to play.
As for the remaining players listed as questionable, they’re working their way back to playing shape within that 21-day practice window after being placed on IR. Defensive tackle Ed Oliver (biceps) practiced in limited fashion all week, but it’s important to note that the meniscus cleanup he had done is not a factor (and not listed) in his questionable playing status for Saturday. Safety Damar Hamlin (pectoral) and wide receiver Curtis Samuel (elbow) were both able to practice in full for each session of the week, but they land on the final report as questionable for the Divisional Round.
