Good thing that the game didn’t count for anything as the Bills finished 10-6. That 13-6 loss to the Jets was a rough one to watch, bringing shades of the past decade back with backups & fresh players off the street merely competing because there was no one else healthy. On Sunday, that wasn’t the case as Sean McDermott did his best to rest as many starters as he could in order to prepare for the playoffs. Unfortunately, there were a number of injuries varying in severity that will put some player’s availability in question for Saturday.
CB Levi Wallace (right ankle)
Wallace scared a lot of people when he went down while catching an interception early in the 1st quarter without being touched. He was able to secure the ball before requiring assistance from training staff to get off the field. As with any non-contact injury, the knee is quickly assessed for any ligamentous instability before further evaluation is necessary in other areas.
Levi Wallace with the interception but the noncontact injury doesn’t look good pic.twitter.com/kpexbC3l9T
— ????️????️Ⓜ️ (@big__bam) December 29, 2019
It was determined that Wallace suffered an ankle sprain, specifically a medial eversion ankle sprain. I had originally thought that he suffered a mild high ankle sprain as the mechanisms are similar, but he suffered the medial ankle sprain due to the foot being more in a neutral to plantarflexed position pushing off on the toe rather than the dorsiflexed, everted position seen with a high ankle. It is hard to decipher on film & I’m only confident in the medial ankle due to the recent reports.
Not quite sure what to make of the Wallace injury. Want to say medial ankle sprain but could be a high ankle due to how that ankle twisted outward. Did see them checking out knee but seems more ankle. #Bills
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 29, 2019
Levi Wallace left the locker room with a walking boot on his right foot. Both Taron Johnson and Cody Ford told me they are fine and will be able to play next week. #Bills
— Jay Skurski (@JaySkurski) December 29, 2019
Wallace was observed leaving the locker room in a walking boot which is pretty standard following injuries such as this. He is considered day-to-day which usually translates out to missing a week or two. Medial ankle sprains have an incredibly strong ligament known as the deltoid ligament that prevents movement inward which helped reduce the severity of the injury.
We will have to see how he performs in practice this week. If he can’t go, capable CB Kevin Johnson gets the start against his former team.
Certainly looked worse, initially though a mild high ankle. Looks like more of a medial eversion ankle sprain. Certainly less common than a low inversion ankle sprain, but could realistically play Saturday. Will wait and see for practice. #Bills https://t.co/R8Ynachflw
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 30, 2019
S Siran Neal (right side stinger)
Neal suffered a stinger during a tackle during the 2nd quarter where he hit directly over the top of his shoulder on a routine tackle. He was visibly uncomfortable, shaking his right arm out & moving around, trying to shake things out.
S Siran Neal down with injury, now walking off with possible stinger, would need another look at replay to determine further. Able to walk off under own power. #Bills
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 29, 2019
That direct hit caused the stinger due to the sudden shoulder depression pulling on the cervical nerves just enough that he felt it down the arm to need a few plays off. Like Tre’Davious White against them Steelers game, the actual hit wore off & he was able to return. As long as Neal doesn’t continue to suffer these, then this shouldn’t be an issue moving forward.
OT Ty Nsekhe (right ankle)
Nsekhe made his triumphant return after missing 5 weeks with a severe ankle injury in the win over Miami. Nsekhe was slowly reintroduced into the game plan & was rather unremarkable during his play.
In a stroke of bad luck, Nsekhe went down again in the 3rd quarter with a Jets defender falling on the back of his foot as he went down. Nsekhe was immediately down on the ground rolling around in obvious pain. Trainers quickly came out to assess the ankle & got him off the field for further assessment.
Look at the play Ty Nsekhe went down on. #Bills pic.twitter.com/IjVCAyRidC
— Bradley Gelber (@BradleyGelber) December 29, 2019
It was difficult to see what Nsekhe exactly injures as the bodies were in the way, but it’s clear that his ankle was rolled upon. He may have avoided serious injury due to his shoe getting knocked off during the play, preventing his foot from being planted. Nsekhe was also observed wearing an ankle support to limit medial/lateral movement which redistributes the forces away from the ankle.
Was a better view on replay, looks like the ankle got twisted down and fell onto. Hard to tell how ankle turned as body was on top. #Bills
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 29, 2019
The hope that is he suffered a contusion to the area & can work through this injury to be available for Saturday. Some detractors may be out there saying he should have not been playing after coming off an ankle injury. I fully support the coaching & medical staff to allow him to get out there in order to get live reps and allow him to play if he’s healthy. Nsekhe is a veteran, he knows his body & the risks he would take in return to play. It comes down to simply horrible luck & there isn’t much else to be said.
Coach McDermott really didn't provide an update on Buffalo's injured players saying players will take it a day at a time. He did acknowledge that Ty Nsekhe injured his same ankle "a little bit." But the #Bills don't have to provide an injury update until tomorrow.
— Chris Brown (@ChrisBrownBills) December 30, 2019
OT Cody Ford (right trapezius/neck)
Ford suffered his own injury later in the 3rd quarter where he appeared to injure his right trapezius or neck. There wasn’t much of a mechanism of injury but Ford came off grabbing at his right trapezius muscle. This muscle connects up to the back of the head, out to the shoulder, and down to the middle of the back. This assists with head extension & shrugging the shoulders.
The only possible place that I see where he could have injured this area would be when he took on the Jets defender, lost his block and had his head turned inward to the left & hit the back of G Spencer Long.
Cody Ford dealing with an injury now. Looked to be neck/right shoulder. Was motioning to the right trapezius & neck on the training staff coming off. Possible strain until I look at replay again. #Bills
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 29, 2019
Ford kept motioning to the area & even pointed to the training staff where his pain was at. He may have overstretched the muscle getting his head forced to the left & hitting Long. He may have also suffered a minor stinger due to the head stopping suddenly.
Either way, he was able to return and outside of some stiffness & soreness, this shouldn’t limit him for Saturday.
CB Taron Johnson (right ankle)
Johnson was the last injury of the day when he got bowled over by Jets running back Le’Veon Bell. Johnson attempted to square up with Bell & plant his feet, getting knocked backward & injuring the right ankle. The injury occurred when Johnson was trying to keep his foot planted & got pushed, over pronating his foot & placing stress through the medial ankle.
Johnson was able to walk off with a noticeable limp but was quickly able to begin running on it, even able to return at the very end to ensure that WR Isaiah McKenzie did not have to fill in at cornerback. This is similar to what Wallace dealt with earlier in the game but obviously less severe & less eversion noted at the ankle. This isn’t something that I expect will keep him out for the playoffs.
Taron Johnson out with a right ankle injury, got forced inward when he got bowled over by Bell. Was seen running it out afterward, possible mild sprain. #Bills
— Banged Up Bills (@BangedUpBills) December 29, 2019
Other observations
Out of the inactives, the only known ones prior to the game were WR Andre Roberts & DE Shaq Lawson with their respective injuries. Having RB Devin Singletary, TE Dawson Knox, WR John Brown, WR Cole Beasley, & CB Tre’Davious White made the most sense being inactive due to how vital they are at their respective positions.
McDermott & the medical staff did the best with what they could. There are injuries the public isn’t aware of despite my best efforts. There are also strategies in getting other players snaps in case the top players do go down.
It wasn’t an ideal situation, but the other option was to play the starters & suffer injuries prior to the playoffs. The injuries suffered Sunday are absorbable especially at CB & OT as the team has managed without so far.
There’s a lot going on this week prior to the game Saturday & it’ll be exciting to see how the Bills stack up against the Texans. This is a winnable game, especially with the defense that has performed all season when asked. If the Bills get beat, it will be because of talent & not because the Bills beat themselves or were too injured.
Top Photo Credit:
DemocratandChronicle.com
