The Buffalo Bills have secured a playoff berth! Following a 17-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, the Bills have secured no worse than a 5th seed in the AFC. What Sean McDermott & Brandon Beane has accomplished in 3 seasons is nothing short of amazing. This is proof that with the right mindset & knowledge, a team can improve & not relegated to forever known as a loser. There is still a lot of football left to be played, but the Bills are in an excellent position to make a deep run with their continued health a major reason for their success.
CB Tre’Davious White (left shoulder/stinger)
White scared all of BillsMafia late in the 1st quarter when he laid a hard hit on Johnny Holton as soon as he caught the ball. White led hard with his right shoulder on a textbook tackle, taking the ball carrier down before getting up, briefly running to the sidelines, motioning to his left shoulder before rolling down to the ground.
Ok, they were looking at the left shoulder when he was on the ground. Thinking more stinger, didn’t really hit with the left shoulder otherwise. #Bills https://t.co/56zRiSqW8Z
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 16, 2019
He was assessed on the field before making his way into the medical tent before returning to play. Based on the video, it appeared that he suffered a left-sided stinger. Despite leading with the right arm, his head was snapped violently to the left, potentially compressing on one of the lower cervical nerve roots coming out of the neck. This would have sent weakness, numbness, & pain with a potential electrical shock feeling going down the arm as the nerve essentially gets shocked from the impact.
White went into the medical tent and sat out 1 play before returning to continue his stellar play. He also did not appear to have any ill effects from the hit for the rest of the game. During Monday’s press conference, it was noted that nothing was significant about White’s injury. Unless he is limited or continues to have issues, then I may consider this a dead issue as he came back & lit it up. Stinger’s can linger but considering that he returned so quickly, he may avoid problems. Only if he has future stingers will there be concerns.
Ty Nsekhe still working through his ankle injury. Corey Liuget still working through knee injury. Both are proceeding. Nothing, to this point, is significant about Tre White's injury. Sean McDermott said Monday evening. #Bills
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) December 16, 2019
OT Jon Feliciano (leg cramps)
Feliciano suffered leg cramps early in the 4th quarter despite the weather hovering around freezing. Typically, cramping is seen in hotter weather due to excessive sweating, rapidly losing water. However, coming off the flu in which the body can become dehydrated faster due to vomiting or diarrhea, this is the likely cause. I am sure the team was force-feeding him fluids, but the body can only hold so much & the sweat he was producing became too much for him, causing dehydration.
After getting some fluids & time on the bench, he was able to return & finish out the game. Hopefully, he is on the mend & recovers enough for Saturday in order to play in Foxborough.
Coming off flu, not surprising. #Bills https://t.co/v0ubqd16jZ
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 16, 2019
CB Taron Johnson (left hand)
Johnson suffered a left-hand injury as the result of attempting to bring down Nick Vannett right before the 2-minute warning, receiving help from S Jordan Poyer. He sat up, looking at his left hand before getting tended to by trainers. After a commercial, he was observed in some distress as the medical staff began buddy-taping the 4th & 5th digits together for support. It isn’t clear what he did to the hand as the angle wasn’t the best; he either stubbed it trying to bring Vannett down or got hit crushed together between Vannett & Poyer.
Either way, these aren’t the types of injuries that would hold a player out. The Bills still have something to play for against New England & missing this game is not an option for most players. A hand injury should not stop Johnson & I expect he continues to play.
OT Ty Nsekhe (right ankle) & DT Corey Liuget (knee)
Nsekhe missed his 4th straight game with his low ankle sprain suffered in the win over the Dolphins. Liuget missed his first game with a knee injury following the loss to the Ravens. Both are progressing, according to Monday’s press conference. We don’t know much about Liuget’s injury, other than it’s termed as a knee.
Sean McDermott starts his press conference saying Ty Nsekhe (ankle) and Corey Liuget (knee) continue to progress in their recovery. No new injuries coming out of the game. #Bills
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) December 16, 2019
As for Nsekhe, he needs to return to practice in a limited fashion before I can say when he will return. I continue to speculate that he will be back in time for the Patriots game, but that window is rapidly shrinking unless he practices on Wednesday. Until there is an update for either player, it will be a wait-and-see approach.
TE Tyler Kroft
Kroft stepped up in quite possibly the biggest moment of the season & possibly his career, securing the game-winning TD to put the Bills up 17-10 in the 4th quarter. Thankfully he didn’t suffer any further injuries following his broken foot & sprained ankle, but I bring him up for a reason.
Brian Daboll says that play and route Tyler Kroft ran to score the game-winning TD last night is the same one he ran the 1st day of OTAs when Kroft broke his foot. #Bills
— Jon Scott (@JonScottTV) December 16, 2019
During Monday’s press conference, Brian Daboll noted that the route he ran for the TD was the same one that he broke his foot on during OTA’s. Kroft has been invisible nearly all season & to come back, score the go-ahead TD on the exact route that cost him half the season is simply ironic. But this shows that football is a team sport & that everyone has their part.
The Bills have done it, they made the playoffs & can begin thinking about their opponents, whoever it may be. This doesn’t mean that they will rest all their starters or phone it in as teams that have done that typically don’t fare well later on. I do expect to see important players continue to play the next two games but are pulled similar to a preseason game in order to prevent injury.
To see the Bills grab an AFC East crown would be incredible & put the Patriots into unfamiliar territory as a Wild Card team, where they haven’t been seeded that low since 1998 when they finished 9-7 as a 6th seed. As Bills fans, we’ve seen crazier things happen that have both favored us & harmed us. By now, why think anything different? The impossible is possible!
Top Photo Credit:
Democratandchronicle.com
