Week 7 Injury Breakdown- Winston’s Woes

Well, I was wrong. Yet I couldn’t be more happier! WR Jordan Matthews has been cleared for practice! After breaking a bone in his thumb which required surgery and a pin inserted just two weeks ago, he has already begun practicing on a limited basis. This is far faster than the anticipated month long absence the team expected. This also blew my prediction out of the water of returning at least by the Jets or Saints game.

This determination was made with full confidence of team doctors and how Matthews has responded to treatment. While there are guidelines with each surgery, they can be circumvented based on variables such as healing, pain, and strength/range of motion progress. As of today, he is listed as questionable for Sunday. He was listed as a full participant in practice today, however, it may still be beneficial to come back with an additional weeks rest. As we have found out, anything can happen, so stay tuned.

Conversely, I believed that LB Ramon Humber would be the one returning quickly as he was able to play through the Falcons game with a club on the hand until he could be examined further. As of today, he is still listed as out. This may change as he continues to be week-to-week, but LB Matt Milano is filling in place with satisfactory results.

CB E.J. Gaines continues to deal with a groin injury also sustained in the Atlanta game which indicates that it may be been more severe than DE Shaq Lawson injury. He was listed as a full participant today which is a good sign heading into Sunday. CB Leonard Johnson is listed as still dealing with a hamstring injury, but also was able to practice in full today. As previously mentioned, hamstrings can be tricky and not quite heal up completely if Johnson re-aggravates the injury. Both are listed as questionable going into Sunday’s game, but considering these are soft tissue injuries, I have much more faith in them playing than Matthews.

Finally, OT Cordy Glenn was a full participant while still dealing with a foot/ankle injury. He appears to continue to re-injure it or dealing with a chronic issue which means he may never be fully healthy this season. There was discussions that he would be moved to the Seattle Seahawks, but a trade was unable to be completed. It is also assumed that he would not pass a physical. Add into the mix that he has a hefty contract that not every team can just assume. I expect to see Cordy either get healthy and be traded, or play out his contract and leave a free agent.

While this is a Bills blog, the one big question is how QB Jameis Winston’s AC sprain will affect Sunday. Winston sustained the shoulder injury last Sunday during a tackle by LB Chandler Jones. It was reported that he was well enough to return in an emergency, but QB Ryan Fitzpatrick finished the game. As of today, Winston has participated in a limited fashion with throwing in practice and is listed as starting Sunday. While he is starting, I question the effectiveness of his abilities.

To understand why this may limit Winston, the AC joint must be understood. The AC joint is important in the shoulder as this is where the top of the shoulder (acromion) articulates with the collarbone (clavicle). The AC joint is vital to the throwing motion due to the fact that as the arm is elevated, the acromion that attaches to the wingbone (scapula) begins to elevate. As the scapula begins to elevate, the articulation between the acromion and clavicle begin to move as the clavicle beings to rotate up and out of the way to allow for overhead movement. If the AC joint is sprained, this limits the ability to elevate the shoulder effectively and cock the arm back in position to throw. There are various grades of AC joint sprains as with any other sprain outlined in my previous article, but this appears to be a Grade 1 sprain.

Winston is going to attempt to play with this injury, but it’s assumed that he will not be effective to throw deep or put any speed on his throws. On average, the shoulder sprain that Winston sustained typically takes 9.8 days to fully recover from according to Dr. David Geier. He will be at day 7 by kickoff Sunday, which may affect his ability. This, and other information regarding AC joint sprains can be found at the previously linked blog. This information provided by both Dr. Geier and found by my friends from The Rockpile Report. If you aren’t already a listener, start listening, Drew and Chris are the best at what they do when it comes to Bills football!

At this point in the season, I still believe we are in a better spot both record wise and injury wise compared to previous seasons. I also believe that this team is better equipped to deal with injuries than in past years. This next month of football will really define our season, determining whether the Bills are for real or the same old Bills. Calling it now, the Bills win a close defensive battle and move to 4-2 on the year. Continue to check back for any breaking updates, new injuries, or further explanation of complex injuries. Thank you and GO BILLS!!