The Buffalo Bills were set to host the Cleveland Browns in Buffalo in a Week 11 matchup that has since been turned sideways. A severe lake-effect snowstorm swept through the area, paralyzing communities with nearly six feet of snow in some locations, including Orchard Park, home of the Bills.
The team will be flying out to Detroit to play the Browns and then turn around and play the Detroit Lions several days later. The Bills are still banged up and will be missing several key contributors, but are still favored by all the sportsbooks.
Below are the full injury breakdowns for each team heading into Week 11.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
OUT
LB Tremaine Edmunds (Groin/heel)
Edmunds is set to miss this game against the Cleveland Browns due to an aggravation of his groin late in the second quarter last week. He was questionable heading into the game and I did not believe that he would suit up.
However, the team elected to play anyone that was able, and Edmunds proved his worth until he was forced to exit.
DE Greg Rousseau (Left high-ankle sprain)
Rousseau is set to miss his second consecutive game due to a left high-ankle sprain suffered in the Week 9 game against the New York Jets.
I don’t expect him to be ready for Thursday’s game against the Detroit Lions either but has a shot at playing against the New England Patriots in Week 13. To fill in any potential depth issues, the team signed former Bills and Chicago Bears DE Kingsley Jonathan to the practice squad. If you recall, Jonathan was with the team in training camp until the roster cutdowns.
CB Tre’Davious White (Left ACL)
White has been ruled out yet again, drawing the ire of the fan base. There may be a mental component that I detailed in my previous article.
QUESTIONABLE
S Jordan Poyer (Left elbow)
Poyer was able to return to practice this week, practicing in a limited ability Wednesday and Thursday before being estimated as a full participant Friday.
He missed the last two games after injuring his left elbow against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. Based on what we’re seeing and how much time he has missed, I suspect he is dealing with a more significant injury that he is attempting to play through. I also expect that we will know a lot more after the season or if he re-injures the elbow.
He knows he has a contract on the line and a potential Super Bowl as well which is why he’s playing. If he does play, I still suspect that he will have trouble with hand-fighting and wrapping up his tackle on the left side. However, his presence and ability to pick the right angles to disrupt plays may make him valuable in his return.
CB Kaiir Elam (Left ankle)
Elam is questionable despite practicing in full Thursday but was unable to practice on Friday due to it being canceled. Had they practiced, he would have been a full participant, but his status may come down to how the ankle feels during warmups. He may be dealing with a minor bone bruise or aggravated low ankle sprain.
FB Reggie Gilliam (Illness)
Gilliam is officially questionable after dealing with an illness all week. Head coach Sean McDermott expected all the guys that were ill during the week to play.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Right elbow)
Allen was limited all week, not throwing during the media portion of practice. All throughout the week, little details about the severity of the elbow injury came out, further supporting that the team took a calculated risk in playing him.
Even though he has no gameday designation, I am still concerned about whether he gets his arm hit again. He has noted that he needs to limit his work during the week and take a little off his throws during the game.
Do not confuse the lack of a designation for full health. I expect him to keep the short to the intermediate game and stay in shotgun to provide extra protection. I also expect the team to lean on the run game again. I don’t expect him to be fully healthy until mid-December.
G Rodger Saffold (Vet rest/shoulder)
Saffold had a regular veteran rest day on top of having a shoulder designation on Wednesday before practicing in full the rest of the week. While this is common to see him get a veteran rest day, he did have a back designation last week before playing in 100 percent of snaps.
Based on the snap count, it’s difficult to speculate when he would have injured the shoulder. But there is a mild concern for the issue that he dealt with last year when he was with the Titans. However, unless we get more information or this lingers, we can’t assume anything.
DT Tim Settle, LB Matt Milano, DT Jordan Phillips (Illness) CB Cam Lewis (Right forearm/illness)
All the players listed above missed Wednesday’s practice with a non-COVID illness. Lewis is part of this group and continues to be listed on the injury report with a chronic bone infection dating back to college.
INJURED RESERVE
WR Jake Kumerow (Left ankle)
Kumerow went to IR on Thursday following the signing of LB AJ Klein, recently with the Chicago Bears. He did miss three weeks earlier in the year dealing with a left high-ankle sprain suffered against the Miami Dolphins.
The video wasn’t clear as to whether he was rolled up on or just hit, but the ankle is bad enough that he needs a month off.
CLEVELAND BROWNS INJURY REPORT
OUT
OL Michael Dunn (Back)
Dunn is set to miss his second straight game after not practicing all week due to his back injury.
S D’Anthony Bell (Concussion)
Bell has been ruled out with a concussion after not practicing all week. He originally suffered the concussion in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins.
DT Perrion Winfrey (Head)
Winfrey did not practice all week due to a head designation which appears to be a concussion based on the wording the Browns use on their injury report. He has not appeared in a game since Week 7 suggesting that he suffered the injury in practice. Winfrey was also a healthy scratch last week suggesting that he sustained the injury recently.
CB Greg Newsome (Concussion)
Newsome has been ruled out of Sunday’s contest after a collision in practice on Friday with another teammate. He officially has a concussion and will need to go through the five-stage protocol to be cleared next week.
QUESTIONABLE
TE David Njoku (Left high-ankle sprain)
Njoku has been working his way back from a left high-ankle sprain suffered in the third quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens back on October 23. He missed the following two games and also had the bye to recover, but is still questionable.
He is nearing the point where he could return as he practiced in a limited role Thursday and Friday. If he does suit up, he will have trouble cutting to his left and jumping for any balls. He will likely begin to labor throughout the game as the ankle is stressed and simply won’t be as effective. Njoku would benefit from another week off but may try to play through the injury.
ACTIVE
T Jack Conklin (Foot)
Conklin was able to practice in full this week other than a rest day on Thursday due to a foot injury originally sustained in Week 8. This may be more of a chronic maintenance issue at this point and he has only missed a few snaps over that timeframe.
LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Knee)
JOK returns to the active game-day roster for the first time since suffering a knee injury back against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7. It’s not clear the specifics of the knee injury, but he was able to practice in full this week and has no designation.
C Ethan Pocic (Ankle)
Pocic was limited on Wednesday before practicing in full on Thursday and Friday, suggesting that this is a minor issue.
G Wyatt Teller (Calf)
Teller has been dealing with a calf injury dating back to Week 6 when he left the contest against the New England Patriots. He missed the following two games before returning to play against the Miami Dolphins in Week 10. Regrettably, he left that game early as well, appearing in only 16 percent of snaps.
He was able to practice in full on Thursday and Friday after being limited Wednesday suggesting the issue is minor. I believe it would take a lot for Teller to miss this game considering he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills. He is at high risk of re-injuring the calf which could see the Browns use Hjalte Froholdt again in his place.
BUFFALO BILLS PROJECTED INACTIVES
LB Tremaine Edmunds
CB Tre’Davious White
TE Tommy Sweeney
DE Greg Rousseau
OL Justin Murray
CLEVELAND BROWNS PROJECTED INACTIVES
CB Greg Newsome
DT Perrior Winfrey
OL Michael Dunn
S D’Anthony Bell
QB Kellen Mond
Banged Up Bills Best Bet
Record: 3-2 +1.00
The Vikings squeaked out a win last week and were able to cover at +3 last week after the line moved all over the place due to the status of Josh Allen. This game after being moved to Detroit saw the Over/Under go up to 49.5 points, up from 41.5 from what I recall earlier in the week.
Based on the location change and the Bills looking to get back on track, I’m playing it safe and picking 1 unit on the Bills Moneyline at -350 at BetMGM.
Final observations
The Bills will be out of sorts, having to play in Detroit due to all the snow in Buffalo this weekend. The Browns will be coming in hungry to send Buffalo to their third loss and try to stay in the playoff race despite being 3-6.
We will see heavy doses of the running game from each team due to that being the strength of the Browns and the Bills, to take pressure off Josh Allen’s elbow. This game may come down to who makes fewer mistakes.
Top Photo Credit: Bryan Bennett/AP
