Bills fans, we’ve been though this before. That 3 week stretch last year, yes, this feels a lot like this. No I do not anticipate that we will go on a tear and win and make the playoffs by some miraculous play. But 5 out of the first 7 games were on the road and the team did much better at home last year. There is still much football to be played and winnable games later this season. However, these wins will be harder to come by as starters begin going down with injury. Today’s post will review these injuries sustained in the brutal loss to the Colts.
Prior to the game, QB Josh Allen (elbow) and RB Taiwan Jones (neck) were ruled out. Allen’s issues are well documented and Jones is a mystery. The injury report this week will shed some additional light on Jones’ complaints. According to reports, Jones is week to week, but that doesn’t tell us much more than its something more serious than neck spasms. We already know that Allen has been ruled out for Monday’s game.
Those injured during Sunday’s tough loss to the Colts include RB LeSean McCoy (Head/ankle), RB Chris Ivory (left foot), and DE Trent Murphy (right knee). McCoy managed to injure both his head and what appeared to be his medial right ankle during a tackle out of bounds on the 2nd play of the game. Assessing the ankle, he appeared to tweak his deltoid ligament on the inside portion of the ankle. This is known as a medial eversion sprain and this is a very difficult ligament to injure due to the biomechanics of the ankle with greater mobility on the outside portion of the ankle compared to inside. It has also since been reported that McCoy also suffered a concussion on the same play and was ruled out for the day. It can take anywhere from 7-10 days for a player to return to play but players have returned quicker, but have also taken longer. They must pass through 5 stages successfully prior to returning to playing and be symptom free following full contact. (Do check out the previous link as it details the NFL concussion protocol and what it entails.) As it stands right now, McCoy may miss the MNF game but if he gets cleared, then there’s no question about his ability to be ready. Only practice and his progression through the protocol will determine whether he will be available for Monday night. As for his ankle, he could get that taped up for support if there is pain present and this does not appear to be potentially a long term issue. This is also an injury that should heal up fairly quickly. Considering that he will be doing little to no athletic activity until the end stages of the concussion protocol, it will only give his ankle more opportunity to heal.
RB Chris Ivory injured his left foot while being brought down early in the 3rd quarter after a run up the middle. He was observed grasping at his midfoot after the play but was eventually able to return. He had stated that the injury was minor and that it was no big deal. It appeared that he may have suffered a midfoot sprain due to the foot being pointed down or in plantar flexion and the foot twisted up underneath. This injury may be worse than it appeared and he truly is alright or this may be something that lands him on the injury report. We will have to wait and see whether it will but considering that he was able to return to play and described it as minor leads me to believe that this will not affect him going into Monday night. It is possible that this could be something he has to deal with as the season progresses, but video does not make me think otherwise and he is reporting that he feels good. If he is unable to go, RB Marcus Murphy would get the start.
DE Trent Murphy injured his right knee late in the 4th quarter with the game already out of hand. He was in the process of engaging an offensive player during a block when another player got thrown into his knee with his knee bent and foot on the ground. The blow did have the makings of a potential ACL tear mechanism; fortunately, we know this not to be the case as it would have been reported by now. Based on video, it appears as though he suffered a Grade 1-2 MCL sprain, similar to what DT Kyle Williams suffered in the preseason against the Browns. As mentioned in previous articles, the MCL is the ligament that runs on the inside portion of the knee and is commonly injured when a blow to the outside of the knee occurs or when a player is pivoting and the foot gets caught in the turf and the knee is overcome by the forces of changing direction. Recovery time takes between 2-6 weeks to return fully without compensation in ideal cases but as in football, players do attempt to come back sooner.
Murphy is week to week according to HC Sean McDermott and this is expected based on the suspected severity. He will most likely miss the Monday night game and may miss the next several games, using the bye in Week 11 to return to full health. As this is the opposite side of his ACL tear from last year, the team will be more cautious to let him back out on the field before he is fully healthy. He also requires more agility out of his position than Kyle Williams which would explain why he will most likely require a longer healing time compared to others with the same injury. There is also a possibility that he may have suffered a minor meniscus tear as the mechanism of injury is similar to that of the MCL, but initial evaluation by medical personnel and Murphy’s reaction on the field indicates that this is more MCL related. The mechanism fits MCL, he had difficulty bending the knee with assistance, and from the video angle, there did not appear to be a rotational component unlike TE Charles Clay’s knee injury from last year. However, I cannot rule out meniscus tear until the team releases further information. Regardless of outcome, I expect Murphy to miss the next 2-3 games, favoring the over due to his previous injury history.
This may be the Bills toughest stretch in regards to injuries as several major names are on the mend at this point. Thankfully, the depth is still strong at most positions and season ending injuries have been at a minimum compared to others in the league. The good news is that all the players should be able to return rather quickly to give the Bills the best chance to win. While I am not expecting a Bills win come Monday night, I expect the Bills to show up for national TV, I expect them to give QB Tom Brady and Co. a dogfight, and I expect it to be a competitive game. Considering all the pomp and circumstance of former Bills great RB Thurman Thomas jersey retirement ceremony, Bills Mafia will be out in full force providing home field advantage.
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