While the Buffalo Bills host the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football, it may as well be the Buffalo Bills vs the New York Bills. Considering how much talent has made its way out there from the front office to the roster and beyond, it will be a homecoming of sorts. Unfortunately, both teams are coming in either incredibly injured other missing multiple key contributors, lessening the allure of the matchup.
This game is a chance for the Bills to get back in the win column and recalibrate the defense with their new starters following the loss of Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano, and DaQuan Jones in successive weeks.
Below are the injury reports for each team, projected inactives, Banged Up Bills Best Bet, and final observations.
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Buffalo Bills Injury Report
QUESTIONABLE
CB Dane Jackson (Foot)
Jackson missed Wednesday and Thursday with a foot injury sustained in the loss to the Jaguars. He was able to play in 100 percent of snaps which makes the injury all the more confusing.
He can be seen going through warmups in the video above which is promising but difficult to determine whether he will suit up on Sunday. Due to the fact that there isn’t a clear mechanism of injury in film, this may come down to a pain tolerance issue and how he feels Sunday night. It’s interesting that he is in sneakers as that would provide more support than cleats, further suggesting a pain issue. Considering the depth issues at cornerback, I am expecting that he will suit up.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Concussion)
Kincaid was placed in the concussion protocol on Monday after returning from London. This came after a hit over the middle early in the fourth quarter after a routine catch. He went for a concussion check and later returned to the game.
While this was Kincaid’s first documented concussion, he has passed through the protocol rather quickly, getting non-contact work in by Thursday. He was able to practice on Friday, indicating he was not cleared by the independent neurologist, but this can still occur on Saturday leaving his chances to play on Sunday still alive.
It’s worth highlighting that Kincaid was seen without a non-contact jersey below indicating that he may have progressed to Stage 5 as that allows contact at practice before being cleared.
Saturday’s practice squad elevations may hint at Kincaid’s status for Sunday.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Wrist)
Knox suffered a right wrist sprain after catching a pass late in the fourth quarter. He was brought down initially without incident before a Jacksonville defender came crashing over the pile, striking his helmet on Knox’s right wrist. He stayed in the game but required the wrist to be taped up afterward.
The veteran tight end was seen at the Sabres game on Thursday with a wrist brace on the area further suggesting that this is more of at least a sprain as seen above. While he is catching a ball fairly well in the video below, my concern is blocking and whether he will win his battles.
He was able to practice throughout the week as a limited designation with the wrist still taped up. He is officially questionable heading into Sunday. Considering how the wrist was hit, a sprain would be a great outcome. It’s possible there is more damage in there that the team will never reveal.
Due to how the wrist was hit, the need for the brace outside of practice, and the duties of the tight end, he may be best to sit this one out this week.
ACTIVE
CB Christian Benford (Right Shoulder)
Benford was able to practice in full this week after missing on Sunday due to what was likely a shoulder contusion suffered in Week 4. With the questionable status of Dane Jackson this week, Benford’s presence is even more important, especially opposite Kaiir Elam or even Ja’Marcus Ingram.
DE Shaq Lawson (Toe)
Lawson was a late addition to the injury report on Saturday with a toe designation. No additional information was given as to what happened but he missed the game. He was able to practice in full this week indicating that this may have been a one-off issue.
DE Greg Rousseau (Right Foot)
Rousseau was limited all week with a foot injury suffered in Week 4 when Ed Oliver fell with his knee onto his foot. He was able to finish the game before missing Week 5. Despite practicing all week, he was not able to get a lot of explosion of the foot and appeared to favor the left foot when pushing off to rush.
I’m really surprised that he is active with no game-day designation, but I would expect them to have his lineup over the right tackle and possibly limit snaps in certain situations. I do expect Rousseau to linger on the injury report for several more weeks.
You can also see the extensive tape job up his ankle on the right side midway through the video below, indicating that the foot requires a lot of external support for stability.
INJURED RESERVE
LB Baylon Spector (Right Hamstring)
Spector has practiced in full all week from his right hamstring strain suffered in the preseason game 3 against the Bears. He was placed on injured reserve after roster cutdowns and appears ready to play. He is now waiting for a roster spot to open to be reinstated to the roster.
New York Giants Injury Report
OUT
OT Andrew Thomas (Hamstring)
Thomas will miss his fifth consecutive game after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 1 against the Cowboys. He was on track to play but suffered a setback prior to Week 4 against Seattle. He continues to rehab as he notes in the post below, but his absence continues to contribute to the offensive struggles for the Giants.
QB Daniel Jones (Neck)
Jones will miss the Week 6 matchup with a neck injury suffered in last Sunday’s game against the Dolphins. This injury occurred as the result of LB Andrew Van Ginkel’s hit in the pocket that saw Jones’s head snap backward as he was driven to the turf.
Jones reports that he was just “sore” and this was different from his 2021 neck injury that required an off-season procedure. The Giants are playing it smart here with Jones as if he doesn’t have full use of his neck to scan the field or take another hit, this could lead to him missing even more time. Former Bills QB Tyrod Taylor will get the start Sunday.
C John Michael Schmitz (Shoulder)
JMS will miss his second consecutive game after suffering a shoulder injury during a goal-line push against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. The exact injury isn’t clear, but it has been described as a “week-to-week” injury.
OL Matt Peart (Shoulder)
Peart suffered a shoulder injury last week against the Dolphins and was ruled out prior to Sunday.
DE Azeez Ojulari (Ankle)
Ojulari will miss his third game of the season with an ankle injury suffered in Week 5 against the Dolphins. This latest injury comes after he has been working through a hamstring injury suffered in Week 1 that cost him two games earlier this year.
QUESTIONABLE
LB Micah McFadden (Ankle)
McFadden suffered an ankle injury in practice on the Thursday prior to Week 5, forcing him out of last week’s contest. He is questionable this week after not practicing Wednesday before getting limited practices on Thursday and Friday.
TE Darren Waller (Groin)
Waller is questionable heading into Week 6 with a groin injury that he appeared to suffer last week. It’s not clear when he suffered the injury, but this may be a compensation injury after he was working through his hamstring injury earlier in the season. Based on reports prior with the hamstring, he may have been dealing with sciatica or similar nerve compression in the lumbar area which can also refer to the groin area.
RB Saquon Barkley (Right high-ankle)
Barkley has missed the three previous games with a right high-ankle sprain suffered in the win over the Cardinals in Week 2. He was limited all week as he continued to rehab from the injury that tends to linger and lead to decreased production upon return. Barkley suffered the same injury in 2019, missing three games. It’s possible he could return this week and looking at stats from when he suffered the injury last time, he had 72 yards and a touchdown in 2019 coming off this injury.
I do not believe that Barkley will be super effective if he plays, but he is a supremely talented player when healthy and will still make a defense pay if he is left uncovered.
RB Gary Brightwell (Ankle)
Brightwell missed practice Thursday after having a limited practice Wednesday, suggesting that his injury is more significant. He was able to get a limited practice on Friday, but if Barkley is activated, I would expect Brightwell to sit this one out to rehab further.
G Shane Lemeiux (Groin)
Lemieux missed last week’s game against the Dolphins after suffering what was described as an abductor injury in the fourth quarter in Week 4. This is the muscle on the outside of the hip and while the team describes his injury as a groin, this is still in the general area. He may have difficulty in lateral movements and taking hits to the area, limiting his ability to open lanes and keep the pocket clean for the backfield.
DL DJ Davidson (Knee)
Davidson appeared to suffer a knee injury on Thursday that led to a limited practice before he was a DNP on Friday. He missed the season opener with a knee injury which suggests that this may be a re-injury and could miss this week.
OT Evan Neal (Ankle)
Neal was working through ankle and hand injuries last week before showing up with just an ankle injury on the report this week. He appeared to roll his ankle on Thursday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers though he hasn’t missed a game. I expect that he will suit up on Sunday.
ACTIVE
G Marcus McKethan (Knee)
McKethan suffered a knee injury last week but has no gameday designation heading into Week 6.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson (Knee)
Robinson’s reps have been limited through the week as he continues to rehab back from the ACL tear that he suffered in Week 11.
P Jamie Gillian (Illness)
Gillian missed practice Thursday with an illness but practiced in full on Friday.
CB Cor’Dale Flott (Ankle)
Flott has no designation for Sunday and missed time earlier in the year due to a hamstring injury.
CB Deonte Banks (Ankle)
Banks rolled his ankle in the fourth quarter on Sunday but has no gameday designation for Week 6.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
TE Dawson Knox
S Damar Hamlin
G Germain Ifedi
OT Alec Anderson
LB AJ Klein
Projected call-ups: CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, TE Joel Wilson (Both inactive)
New York Giants Projected Inactives
QB Daniel Jones
OT Andrew Thomas
C John Michael Schmitz
LB Azeez Ojulari
OT Matt Peart
RB Gary Brightwell
DL DJ Davidson
Banged Up Bills Best Bet
Unfortunately, last week’s outcome wasn’t great unless you were a Jaguars fan and picking them in the money line or to cover the spread. A two-touchdown spread can be concerning as a win is a win, but to win big, sometimes that’s not always easy. However, the Bills offense is still mainly intact after Sunday’s loss, the Giants don’t have much of an offense with everyone injured, and what the Bills have on defense can still stop most teams. I’m picking one unit on the Bills to cover the spread -15 (-110) at Caesars.
Record: 3-2 +.73 Units
Final Observations
The Bills just need to win. Period. This is a Giants team that has had everything that could go wrong, go wrong. Injuries and a tougher schedule have really shown the Giants to be a paper tiger this year. The Bills are simply too talented to go out and keep this game close. The offense needs to get back on track after a lagging performance in London and establish a new defensive identity. This is a game the Bills should expect to win and perform accordingly.
Top Photo Credit: Giants.com
