That loss hurt. We lose to the Patriots all the time, but we lose to the Jets and Dolphins more than we should. The NFL is “Any Given Sunday” but to lose in that fashion to the Dolphins stings. While there was an opportunity to win on the Bills final offensive play with that pass to TE Charles Clay, there were still many glaring mistakes that cost the Bills that game. Whether you thought QB Josh Allen could have thrown it better or Clay should have caught that, it doesn’t matter. There were other opportunities to win the game and that’s where the Bills have to improve on. While there were minimal injuries again this game, the injuries sustained were more significant than usual. Today’s post will review injuries in Sunday’s loss.
C Russell Bodine (fibula fx) is done for the season after breaking his fibula (seen above in red) midway through the 1st quarter on Sunday. Video is limited but Bodine is observed going down with DT Davon Godchaux falling on his leg while his knee is on the ground. The direct blow to the area from a 315 lb human will do some damage, in Bodine’s case, resulting in a fracture. Bodine was able to walk off the field without assistance because these guys are tough and won’t let pain stop them unless it’s truly unbearable. Add in the fact that the fibula is a non-weight-bearing bone which allowed him to still walk despite being part of the lower leg. The fibula makes up the outside portion of the ankle and goes up to the lower outside portion of the knee. This bone provides many attachments for the lower leg bone but does not have any actual weight bearing function in regards to walking.
Bodine will miss the rest of the 2018 season, going to IR to have surgery with what is expected a full recovery for 2019. The surgeon performing the operation will be performing an ORIF which is short for open reduction, internal fixation on a fracture similar to the picture above. This means they will surgically open his leg, re-align the broken bone, and reinforce the fracture with screws and a plate to ensure proper healing to the area. Once the surgery is complete, Bodine will be non-weightbearing for at least 6 weeks. Despite the above statement that the fibula is not involved in walking or weight bearing, the leg still must avoid weight through the area due to the possibility of disrupting the healing process. If weight bearing were to occur, excess stress from the attached muscles performing their actions during walking could lead to weakness/instability to the healing bone. Other concerns would be a potential fall directly on the area or sudden jarring movements could lead the hardware to loosen or shift leading to the bone not healing properly. If he does indeed have the syndesmotic injury as Dr. Chao theorizes, then he could be non-weightbearing for 8-12 weeks according to this protocol which would require removal of the hardware. We will not know which type of surgery he will have and it may come down to surgeon preference or the amount of damage. Regardless, this will not affect recovery time which is about 12+ weeks. Seen below is a picture of what his ankle may look like on x-ray once surgery is completed.
12 weeks will not allow him to be ready for football related activities, but will at least allow him to work towards getting back in shape. The timeline to return to football specific activities and return to full form is longer, but not exactly known. My best guess is ~6 months to fully regain what he has lost and resume activities as though he never suffered the injury. Everyone responds differently and Bodine is no exception. The Bills have begun working out centers but have not appeared to sign anyone at this point. It is likely that C/G Ryan Groy will step up and take over the starting role for the rest of the season.
Other injuries sustained were LB Tremaine Edmunds (knee/ankle) and CB Jordan Poyer (finger). Edmunds suffered an injury to his right leg midway through the 3rd quarter in which his foot got caught in the turf and he got hit from a falling body. The knee looked structurally fine as it was going into a varus position. This is when the knee is buckling out as the foot moves inward. This is opposite of the dreaded ACL/MCL mechanism of injury but Edmunds mechanism of injury could still cause damage to the knee under the right circumstances. Thankfully, the rookie LB was checked out by the medical staff, missed a few plays and was able to return rather quickly. He may be dealing with at most, a sprained ankle with the foot having been caught in the turf and rolled inward. He may show up on the injury report but it does not appear to be anything that will limit him next week.
Poyer suffered a right finger injury shortly after Edmunds sustained his injury in the 3rd quarter. He was attempting to secure an interception by QB Ryan Tannehill but was unable to come up with the ball. He appeared to be shaking his hand out as though he jammed his finger. He was able to return playing immediately and may or may not show up on the injury report. Even if he does, it is unlikely to affect his ability to play next Sunday.
Overall, the Bills did not lose much injury wise and should continue chugging along to next Sunday where they have their 2nd game against the Jets in what should be a winnable game. I am encouraged by how this offense is starting to click with the progression of QB Josh Allen & WR Zay Jones and optimistic how the team can upgrade with the cap money they have for 2019. Only time will tell how things play out.
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