The Buffalo Bills lost another game to the Patriots, 23-3. The only consistencies in a Bills fan’s life are the sun rising, the mail being delivered, and the Bills losing to the Patriots. To add to it, the Bills lost several key players to injury today which if the team somehow has a playoff run in them, it will make things even tougher. Today’s post will, as always, identify injuries and impact they have on the rest of this season.
First up is QB Tyrod Taylor who left the game with a left knee injury early in the 4th quarter. Taylor injured his knee on the first play from scrimmage during a tackle going out of bounds. He initially appeared to be in pain, limping around, but was able to stay in the game up until he took another hard hit onto the same knee early in the 4th quarter. Upon viewing video, it was confirmed that Taylor sustained a patellar tendon contusion on the first play and then re-aggravated it, ending his day.
A patellar tendon contusion is basically a bruise to the tendon that connects the kneecap (patella) to the tibia as seen in the reddened area in the picture above. By definition, this is actually a ligament, but as the patella acts as a fulcrum to assist in knee movement, it is commonly referred to as a tendon. Falling directly onto the knee can cause injury to the area as seen in Taylor’s case. Limitations include running, cutting, stopping suddenly, and direct impact to the area. As evident by Taylor’s play, he was able to play through it but clearly limited him as it was shown with Taylor’s ability to scramble out of the pocket. With how Taylor played today, the injury may be irrelevant because he may not be worth playing next week.
As to how long Taylor is out, it is truly a day-to-day injury. It may resolve and he may be able to play next week. He may also miss the next game due to continued pain and swelling. It is really up to how he responds. I expect to see him with some type of compression sleeve to manage swelling but not limit mobility.
Next is DE Shaq Lawson who left the game with 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter after getting tied up in a pile of players during a goal line stop. Video review shows that Lawson tried to stop RB Rex Burkhead coming up the middle and got caught with OT Nate Solder falling on his right ankle. Lawson is listed week-to-week with an ankle sprain but my fear is a high ankle sprain which is far more severe and could cause him to miss some time. I suspect this as the lower portion of Lawson’s ankle had Solder fall on it while Lawson was still in the air, causing the stress to be placed up higher through the fibula. Either way, it would not shock me if he was ruled out for at least next week.
CB Leonard Johnson left the game early in the 3rd quarter and did not return with a left knee injury but was able to lightly run on it to go into the locker room. He appears to have suffered a knee contusion due to a direct helmet to knee hit. His body was up in the air during the hit which reduced serious injury if the foot was planted in the ground. It did not appear severe in nature and I like his outlook for next week’s game.
RB Travaris Cadet is currently in the concussion protocol as reported today. Reviewing video, Cadet did take some hard hits to the helmet but none knocked him out of the game. He was able to play all the way to the end and did not appear to be disoriented. One of the hits earlier may have gave him a delayed presentation in symptoms after the game. Either way, losing the backup running back is never great. The only silver lining is that FB Mike Tolbert may be slated to return after missing the past few games with a hamstring injury.
Finally is CB Tre’Davious White who suffered a concussion during a very late, very dirty hit from TE Rob Gronkowski late in the 4th quarter after an interception. As most everyone has seen the GIF by now, Gronkowski charges down towards White and lays an elbow/forearm into the back of White’s head as he is lifting it, causing the head to bounce off the field. Gronkowski has since been suspended one game, which he is currently appealing. White is possibly the biggest loss to the defense even with the lowly Colts coming to Buffalo next week. White is currently in the concussion protocol and it is far too early to tell whether he will be ready to play next week. For a quick review of the concussion protocol, please review my article here.
Yesterday was a rough day, it sucks being a Bills fan sometimes, and it sucks seeing success elude this team year after year. It hurts even more when injuries add to the misery of it all. I hope that Johnson, Cadet, and White are able to suit up for next Sunday. I expect Taylor to be benched due to injury and if not injury, then he should be benched for performance. I also expect that Lawson misses next week as he appeared to be in rather significant pain and does not appear to be ready to go next week.
Continue to check back for the latest updates and articles regarding Bills injuries. Follow me on Twitter at @kyletrimble88 for the latest updates and breaking news. As always, thank you for reading and despite my disappointment in this team, GO BILLS!
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