The Buffalo Bills are the 2021 AFC East Champions!
They have won back-to-back division titles for the first time since winning four straight from 1988-1991. To see the Bills achieve these heights not seen in decades is incredibly satisfying to see after all the subpar years.
So many subpar years.
Playoffs four out of the last five years with a legitimate chance to win the Super Bowl is something we could only dream of. And the best part? The team is relatively healthy going into the playoffs which could be the difference between winning and losing a game when everything is on the line.
According to Sean McDermott during Monday’s press conference, they should be in good shape coming out of the game.
The team is not without injuries at all, but they are in a good spot as compared to last season. Check out the injury details below.
In-game injuries
WR Gabriel Davis (Left Ankle)
Davis came out of a pile of bodies hobbling following Devin Singletary’s second touchdown of the night with 8:21 left in the 4th quarter. In the video review below, it looks as though Singletary hit his left ankle as he fell forward for the touchdown.
Davis briefly left the field as the defense came on but the blue medical tent did not show up or that he required medical attention on the sideline. He was able to return to the game in the next offensive series and did not appear limited.
The injury appeared to be relatively minor and I’m not certain it will even show up on the injury report. With the pile of bodies, it’s hard to discern what the actual injury was, but the fact he played in 91 percent of the overall snaps, everything may be alright. But to consider that this was all that came out of Sunday’s win is highly encouraging.
Other observations
Both Efe Obada and Emmanuel Sanders didn’t play due to injury which wasn’t all that surprising. Both are still considered day-to-day with Sanders having been up and down dealing with his right knee injury over the last month. Sanders was doubtful heading into the game which hardly anyone with a doubtful designation plays in the first place.
Obada suffered an ankle injury during the win over the Falcons, but it’s not clear when he suffered the injury that held him out of practice all last week. Hopefully participation this week will provide some clarity regarding their availability for Saturday and possibly the injuries as a whole.
The Bills are in a great spot injury-wise and they have an opponent that they know incredibly well in the New England Patriots. There will be plenty to get into later this week, but this has been one of the easier postgame injury reports to write up this season.
I will not be alarmed to see several new faces on the injury report this week in order to maximize rest and some possible gamesmanship. We know the Patriots will have plenty of players on their injury report, though they have some actual injuries from Sunday.
The Bills have to maximize game planning and rest if they plan on making a deep playoff run this year. This will be an intense week leading up to the game. Bask in the moment Bills fans, we’ve earned this. Go Bills!
Top Photo Credit: Bill Kostroun/AP
