The Bills roll into Houston with a noted distinction rarely seen in today’s NFL. They have no one on the injury report in a league where each player is one injury away from never playing again. I am not a statistician or have extensively researched this, but the incidence of this is rather low if you ever took a look at www.pro-football-reference.com injury report for any team during any season. Despite this week’s rarity, today’s article will still review injuries from this week and impact they can have on the game.
Those on the injury report this week were S Micah Hyde (groin), S Rafael Bush (shoulder), CB Tre’Davious White (ankle), & G John Miller (ankle). As previously mentioned, Hyde and Bush missed last week with their respective injuries and White & Miller appeared to have either injured or aggravated previous injuries in practice.
However, all are cleared to play though may not be 100%, as most players aren’t fully healthy during the grind of an NFL season. Miller and White appeared to have generalized sprains based on limited reporting out of practice this week. Miller did deal with what I believed was a high ankle sprain last season. I do not believe he is dealing with an aggravation of this, but is a concern if he has repeated appearances on the injury report. White did not miss an defensive snap which makes me believe this is a minor injury. These generalized sprains can be managed well with rest, rehab, and proper bracing/taping to play the next week.
Bush is coming off a shoulder injury that by video, appeared to be an AC sprain. He was able to play though the rest of the game which makes me believe this to be the case. It is possible that he could have sustained a more serious injury, but we will know if there is any bracing or additional support on the shoulder that would signify any other injury.
With those on the injury report, the only one I am concerned about is Hyde. With groin injuries, they can linger as most strains do and are at a higher risk for re-injury if coming back too soon. There is a precedent for healthy players to be ruled inactive as CB Phillip Gaines and RB Marcus Murphy were ruled out in past weeks despite practicing in full that particular week. As Hyde is a vital cog to the secondary, it is possible that he may miss the game, but less likely as he is a starter. Add in the fact that the team released S Dean Marlowe indicates that Hyde will most likely play.
This fortunate injury report allows the Bills to go into Houston with a healthy roster and everyone mentioned above active. This will give them the best chance possible to get to 3-3. These are the games that fit “The Process” exactly; games that while tough, are games that can be won with the right game plan and personnel available. I do not anticipate the Bills to have results that mirror the Ravens and Chargers games. I believe that the Bills will walk away with a win and keep pace with their AFC counterparts.
This is one of the shorter articles this season and in my book, that is an excellent thing. Continue to check back for the latest updates and news coming out of One Bills Drive. Follow Banged Up Bills on Facebook, on Twitter @BangedUpBills, on Reddit at u/BangedUpBills and online at www.bangedupbills.com. As always, thank you for reading and GO BILLS!!
