The Bills travel down to Dallas with a lot at stake. Win, move to 9-3 & gain the national “respect” that they deserve? Or lose, drop to 8-4, and have continued questions whether they are actually a playoff-caliber team. With both teams playing on short weeks, this game will come down to who makes fewer mistakes & can capitalize on the opportunities given to them. Fortunately, the Bills are far healthier than the Cowboys & can make the most with their roster to secure a win before hosting Baltimore in Week 14.
OUT
OT Ty Nsekhe (right ankle)
Nsekhe continues to work back from the sprained ankle suffered in the win over the Dolphins. He missed the Broncos game & won’t be back for the foreseeable future. He will continue to rehab & begin working on increasing his workloads to eventually return to practice with the hopes that he returns before the Patriots or Jets game.
QUESTIONABLE
C Mitch Morse (right 5th digit)
Morse appeared to jam his right 5th digit or pinky on a play late in the 1st quarter, striking his hand into the ground towards the end of the play, coming up & grabbing at the area. He was unable to return for the rest of the game but was at times observed snapping to QB Matt Barkley & getting his finger buddy taped to the ring finger for support. He is likely dealing with some minor loss of range of motion, pain, & swelling. It also doesn’t help that 40% of grip strength comes from the muscles that move the 5th digit, significantly limiting Morse’s ability to grip & snap the ball.
It’s possible he broke his finger, but without clear video, hard to say. However, he has been limited Monday-Wednesday with the finger injury, indicating that this may not be the case. It is very possible that he still plays with the fingers buddy taped together for support to play effectively. If he is unable to go or re-injures the finger, then G Jon Feliciano would slide back over with G Spencer Long taking his place.
WR Robert Foster (right hamstring)
Foster suffered a right hamstring injury on his biggest play of the day Sunday on a 24-yard catch & run down the sideline. Unfortunately, he got pushed out, forcing him to catch himself on his right side from falling over. As he was doing this, he was decelerating, regrettably overloading the eccentrically contracting hamstring and he suffered a strain. The team has been incredibly conservative with hamstring injuries this season with great success.
Despite practicing in a limited role Tuesday & Wednesday, soft tissue injuries need time to heal up & with 5 days between games, the time simply is not there. As Foster is ruled questionable, WR Duke Williams will likely get the start after 4 games inactive. Hopefully, Foster’s strain is a minor one & he can return to play against Baltimore.
CLEARED TO PLAY
S Siran Neal (concussion)
Neal managed to progress through the concussion protocol quickly, only missing the Dolphins game & not practicing at all last week. Last we knew, he was in Stage 2 of the protocol going through a pregame workout on Sunday. For him to progress to practicing in full & clearing the protocol is promising, indicating that he will resume as a vital cog in the special teams play.
Possible Inactive’s:
TE Tommy Sweeney
DT Vincent Taylor
WR Robert Foster
OT Ty Nsekhe
S Dean Marlowe
RB TJ Yeldon
OG Ike Boettger
There isn’t much to discuss moving forward other than the Bills have to go down to Dallas & take care of business. Ideally, the Bills move to 9-3, shutting up the critics as the Bills march towards the playoffs despite a tough stretch of games. Either way, the Bills have taken care of business, winning the games they need to & putting themselves into opportune positions, rather than relying on others screwing up for the Bills to have a favorable outcome. Bills Mafia, enjoy your Thanksgiving & GO BILLS!!
