Well, that game is over. That was a tough one to watch from an offensive standpoint. LeSean McCoy ran for 9 yards and the offense scored 3 points. Not the kind of football that I want to watch nor root for. While the defense kept the Panthers to 9 points in their own house, there are no moral victories. Only upside is that the Bills continue to stay relatively healthy, once again, not sustaining any significant injuries.
Today’s post will consist of any Bills players who sustained any sort injury and breakdown potential ramifications for future games. First up, Marcell Dareus sustained an ankle injury early in the 1st quarter and sat out for some time. Watching the game, there was no injury timeout or replays showing the injury. Considering that Dareus returned to the game, it does not appear to be anything concerning. Best case scenario is that Dareus suffered a mild lateral sprain which was taped up on the sidelines, giving him stability to finish the game. Expect for Dareus to be limited in the next several practices as he recovers and be a full participant next week against Denver.
Next up is CB E.J. Gaines who was down momentarily with a shoulder injury. If you recall, Gaines suffered a shoulder injury that knocked him out of last week’s contest against the Jets. While not confirmed, it appeared to be the same shoulder, believed to the left side. This injury was sustained during a tackle near the end of the 1st quarter. While it was initially reported that his shoulder was not concerning last week, re-injuring the same shoulder now makes it concerning. Considering that it was a direct hit to the area, he may have suffered an AC sprain or possible SC sprain which would limit arm elevation, vital for tackling and batting passes down. Expect to see Gaines be listed on the injury report, too early to tell if he misses next game.
Cordy Glenn was next with an ankle injury sustained in the 2nd half. No video or injury timeout occurred leading to further review, but the fact that Glenn continues to be hampered with foot and ankle injuries is concerning. No updated reports indicate that this may be a multi week injury, but expect Glenn to be out of practice the next several days. It does help that McDermott has been rotating his lineman out to keep them fresh which has allowed Dion Dawkins to get vital playing time in cases such as this. I still believe that Glenn may be dealing with some sort of ankle instability which could lead to further sprains if not conservatively managed.
Two injuries that are not concerning are Kyle Williams going down with an eye injury and Andre Holmes with a chest injury. Both returned to the game quickly indicating that no damage occurred. Williams appeared to suffer a cut above his right eye during a tackle and Holmes appeared to have the wind knocked out of him briefly. Williams is too tough to let an eye laceration slow him down and Holmes still made plays towards the end of the game which allows these injuries to become afterthoughts.
Finally, LeSean McCoy went down with a right wrist injury during a tackle at the end of the 3rd quarter but was able to return. Last week, McCoy reported that his hand went numb during a similar play last week and pulled himself out briefly. Despite his hand going numb and then returning to the game tells me professionally that no structural damage has occurred. What is most likely happening is when McCoy goes down, he may be striking the field with his elbow and hitting his funny bone. When someone hits their funny bone, they are actually directly striking their ulnar nerve which is slightly exposed on the inside part of the elbow. This can cause immediate numbness along with the pins and needles feeling as though the hand fell asleep. McCoy could reduce the incidence by wearing elbow pads, but may be a comfort issue or may limit the ability to cradle the football.
A final note, earlier today, it was reported that Shaq Lawson suffered a nerve contusion during yesterday’s game and has begun to recover. Once again, no injury timeout or detailed video indicating when this occurred. Reports also do not identify the area that the nerve contusion occurred. Until further reports are made, I will have to assume that this is a similar injury that occurred with McCoy mentioned above.
Updates will be made once the official injury report comes out and more information is released. None of these injuries except Glenn’s ankle concern me. I expect players to get injured, miss plays/time, and not always be at 100%. While the results are not what us as fans want, I would rather have a close loss with everyone coming back to play next week than a win with a major player going down with a season ending injury. Expect further articles to briefly analyze Week 2 injuries around the league and updates on any Bills injuries once more information becomes available. As always, willing to answer questions, break down injuries, and educate my fellow fans on injuries occurring with the Buffalo Bills and in the NFL.
