The Buffalo Bills brought back a 2-0 record to Highmark Stadium following Sunday’s divisional win over the New York Jets, but they also carried home a few new injuries. That’s not great news since they play football again in a few days.
The biggest news coming out of Sunday’s game is that quarterback Josh Allen is okay. Allen took a shot to the face and sat on the sidelines for a couple of plays while trainers worked on getting his nose to stop bleeding. While Allen is now bruised and swollen, there
was no need for a concussion check, his eyes haven’t swollen shut, and he will be in uniform Thursday night when the Bills host the Miami Dolphins.
The next biggest news coming out of Sunday’s game is that linebacker Matt Milano is not okay. Milano was mysteriously missing from action in the second half of Sunday’s game after playing out of the gates like a man on a mission. Milano was finally seen standing on the sideline, first without a helmet, then with his helmet. However, he never returned to play after halftime.
There was originally speculation that Milano may have pulled a hamstring (something he has a history of), but it was later determined to be upper body. On Monday head coach Sean McDermott said that it was a pectoral injury. The injury — which is on the opposite side as the torn triceps that kept Milano on Injured Reserve for most of last season — meant that he didn’t practice on Monday. McDermott said Milano’s status for Thursday is unknown, but don’t count on him being active.
Another non-participant was defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who popped up on the injury report midway through last week with an ankle injury that, apparently, was the result of being stepped on during a team practice. Oliver sat out Sunday, he’s still sitting out, and he’s likely to be out on Thursday as well (it’s not official, but I would bet on it).
The Bills will get Jordan Hancock back this week. Hancock has been dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of Sunday’s win in New Jersey. Now he’s back to being a full participant. That’s good news for the rookie and the Bills.
Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson and linebacker Shaq Thompson, both also sidelined on Sunday, were listed as limited on Monday. If Milano can’t go (which I doubt) and Thompson is capable at all, we may see the veteran back out on the field. Johnson has been dealing with a quad injury for a week now. He was listed as questionable at the end of last week’s practices and said he was wanting to be ready to play. He wasn’t. We will have to wait and see how he progresses over the next two days.
Something that could push Johnson’s return is the new injury to Cam Lewis. Lewis, who plays the role of substitute for Johnson at nickel, injured an ankle – possibly when he got kicked by a sliding Tyrod Taylor in the fourth quarter.
There’s a lot to work through this week, and there isn’t time to do it in. We’ll have to see how tomorrow’s practice goes, and then we can start making some more predictions as to what Thursday night’s roster will look like.
