The Bills earned a break after handling a quick turnaround to open the new Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo defeated the Lions 41-31 on Thursday, moving to 2-0 in Joe Brady's first season as head coach. The win came four days after the Bills opened their season with a victory in Houston.
Brady had the team report early Friday for lifting and recovery work. Players were then dismissed for an extended rest period entering the weekend, with Buffalo not scheduled to practice again until Wednesday.
“One of the perks of the Thursday night game — not a lot of perks — but one of the perks of it is you do get that long weekend, and the guys will recover,” Brady said. “So, we don't practice again until next Wednesday.”
The HC provided almost a week's time from the
game against Detroit for roster rest and recovery, while also explaining the reason why he wanted players inside the facility early the morning after the game.
“No one really sleeps the day after the game,” he added. “So, I'd rather them come in early, get their lift, get everything and then go get some rest tonight.”
The Bills are in the midst of a several game home stand and their first regular season contests on the grass of the new Highmark Stadium. The team will host the Los Angeles Chargers next on Sunday, September 27th then the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots on Sunday, October 4th.
The extra time arrives at an important time for some starters who were missing from action in the team's win over Detroit. Both WR1 DJ Moore and DT Ed Oliver are currently working through injuries to get back on the field.
Oliver injured his hip during warmups, and Moore had a stinger and shoulder injury that caused him to leave the Lions matchup early and not return for the remainder of the game.
The head coach also shared updates postgame on another couple of key contributors from each side of the ball who were also out for the game, saying that RB Ty Johnson and DT T.J. Sanders were close to playing Thursday night after both missed Buffalo's season opener.
Brady's schedule has placed an early emphasis on keeping his team fresh for a season built around being ready for the playoffs and a Super Bowl run.
The Bills have a Week 7 bye week in mid-October following their next road games in Los Angeles against the Rams and in Las Vegas against the Raiders.
It's a long season but they will have a timely recovery window now in front of them in the short term to rest before taking the field against the Chargers seeking to improve to 3-0 on the year.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Joe Brady rewards players after win over Lions
