The Bills have something special on the team this year, the grit, the willingness to not give up, the ability to battle no matter what. Despite a disastrous first half, the Bills rebounded to get back within a score, but could not close it out against one of the NFL’s best. Regardless of the 16-10 score, the Bills set themselves up to bounce back in Week 5 against the Titans. The Bills defense have not let up more than 17 points in a game this season & have shown the ability to stay in games. With next week in Nashville & a bye coming thereafter, this will certainly affect the injury management moving forward.
Looking at the inactive list from Sunday, there were several notable surprises. WR Robert Foster (groin), RB Devin Singletary (hamstring), CB Taron Johnson (hamstring), & OG Spencer Long (ankle) all were dealing with injuries from this past week but weren’t certain to sit out. Singletary was looking productive in practice this week but may have felt that he wasn’t 100%, wanting to avoid injury. Same goes for Johnson. Below is confirmation that Singletary was close to playing but decided against it.
Foster is dealing with a groin injury in addition to a previous turf toe injury which made his availability unlikely, making the decision to be inactive a smart one. Long was dealing with an ankle injury as a late addition to the injury report Friday. We will find out more this coming week with all the injuries, but this is why the depth is critical as injuries pile up.
For those coming off injury, OG Jon Feliciano didn’t appear fazed by his neck injury & was able to play in every offensive series. LB Maurice Alexander played in 79% of special teams play which has been in line with his participation through the previous 3 games. WR Isaiah McKenzie was active but only played in 1 snap & wasn’t a factor indicating the ankle injury was worse than previously thought. He likely was active as there wasn’t another option to replace him.
Looking at injuries today, there wasn’t a ton, but the ones that the Bills did sustain affected major contributors.
CB Tre’Davious White (right ankle)
White suffered a right low ankle sprain with 8:29 left in the 2nd quarter. Brady threw a pass to the left to Josh Gordon whom CB Levi Wallace wrapped up to bring down. White pursued the ball and to avoid delivering a late hit as Wallace/Gordon was going down, he began slowing up, half running, half hopping. His right foot hit short and the foot snapped inward, tweaking the ankle in which was an obvious low ankle sprain. He left briefly before returning with a likely quick tape job around the ankle for stability.
He later left before the 2nd quarter was finished to go to the locker room to get a head start on a further evaluation of the ankle & get bracing on the area. White was able to play the rest of the game, but at times appeared a step slower. He was able to keep up with the coverage on vertical plays, but the moment he had to pivot off the right foot, he wasn’t able to as effectively which put him at a huge disadvantage.
Whether this affects him for next week is uncertain for now. A low ankle sprain can be played through, but considering he has the bye coming up, it wouldn’t be crazy for him to sit out next week. Low ankle sprains can take 1-3 weeks to get back to full function with a suspected Grade 1 sprain. He may also still be dealing with his neck injury from the past 2 weeks. Wednesday will tell us more about his availability.
S Dean Marlowe (head)
Marlowe reportedly was assessed for a head injury late in the 3rd quarter with 4 minutes left & did not return. Looking at game film, he actually suffered the potential head injury much earlier on the kickoff return by the Patriots following the Bills scoring play with roughly 10 minutes left.
Marlowe wrapped up the returner and then appeared to get hit by a flurry of bodies that assisted in completing the tackle. He was able to get off the field but appeared possibly dazed. Unfortunately, he must have begun dealing with possible concussion symptoms, leading to an evaluation. He did not return & and he has since been placed in concussion protocol.
QB Josh Allen (concussion)
Obviously, the biggest concern from Sunday was the brutal hit that Allen took early in the 4th quarter with 14:54 left on a helmet-to-helmet hit. This hit was especially unfortunate as he was already wrapped up & CB Jonathan Jones came in with a brutal hit that left Allen crumpled in a heap for several moments, quickly tended to by the medical staff. Looking at the video below, he got hit on the crown of his head on the left side, goes down onto his right with the right side of his head bouncing off the turf. He was down for a few moments before getting up and having an assessment in the blue tent. He later ran into the tunnel to have a further assessment which indicated his day was done. After the game, he was placed into the concussion protocol.
As to how serious the concussion is or the timeline he is out, we won’t know until Wednesday when we see if he is available to be on the sidelines for drills or participating in light football activities. He is not allowed to speak to the media while in the protocol, so all information will flow through McDermott who typically does not offer much detail. To read more about concussions, check out this article. To view a graphic of the concussion protocol, check it out below.
This is the exact reason the team brought back QB Matt Barkley in moments like this. If Allen can’t go, they can turn to Barkley & activate QB Davis Webb from the PS as a backup. Concussion protocol can go quickly, but we have seen both C Mitch Morse & former QB Derek Anderson experience lengthy absences during their respective concussions.
There may be other minor injuries & things pop up on the injury report for Wednesday. But until then, the team may be without both Marlowe & Allen with White also either missing the game or not playing at 100% heading down to Nashville. We can only hope the team as a whole gets & stays healthy in order to prevent a repeat of past seasons with a hot start followed by a fizzle.
Top Photo
Creator: Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Credit: The Boston Globe
