Week 12 in the AFC East kicks off early with a first of its kind Black Friday game! This contest sees the Miami Dolphins take on the New York Jets. With a Miami win, this moves them one step closer to a division title, the first in 15 years. However, with a Jets win, this would snap a three-game losing streak and stave off playoff elimination.
Other AFC East games include the Buffalo Bills heading east to face the defending NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles while the New England Patriots take a short trip south to face the New York Giants.
Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets | Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
DOUBTFUL
OL Rob Jones (Knee)
Jones missed last week’s contest after suffering a knee injury in the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 9. He was unable to practice again on Tuesday in the walk through and was limited Wednesday and Thursday, doubtful to play Friday. I would not expect him to suit up. If he does, he would be an emergency backup option.
QUESTIONABLE
OL Kendall Lamm (Back)
RB De’Von Achane (Right Knee)
Ater missing the last four games due to a right knee injury originally suffered in Week 5, Achane returned and promptly re-injured the knee. Reports indicated that he had the knee fallen on and it was painful coming out of the game.
The team is being smart about managing the young back so that he can be at his best for the playoffs. These are injuries that can be played through, but can limit his lateral mobility.
TE Durham Smythe (Ankle)
Smythe has been working through an ankle injury dating back to Week 8. He has played through the injury up to that point but missed last week due to his ankle injury after coming off the bye. He was unable to practice on Tuesday before getting in limited work the past two days.
OT Terron Armstead (Left Knee)
Armstead has still been working through his left knee injury suffered in Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills. This injury led to an injured reserve stint but he was able to return in Week 9 and played in 100 percent of snaps the last two weeks. I would expect he plays.
WR Chase Claypool (Knee)
Claypool underwent a minor knee procedure over the bye and missed last week as he recovered. He was able to get limited practices in all this week and is officially questionable heading into Week 12.
G Lester Cotton (Hip)
Cotton appeared on the injury report with a hip designation though it isn’t clear how he suffered the injury or how it is exactly limiting him. Mike McDaniel is optimistic that he will be able to play come Friday.
OL Robert Hunt (Hamstring)
Hunt originally suffered a hamstring strain against the New England Patriots in Week 8 and missed every game since then. He was able to get in limited practices this week, having a chance to play.
FB Alec Ingold (Foot/Ankle)
Ingold has been a mainstay on the injury report due to a foot injury dating back to Week 5. Coming out of Week 11, Ingold added in an ankle injury and is questionable.
OL Austin Jackson (Oblique)
Jackson appeared on the injury report following Sunday’s game with an oblique injury but he was able to get a walk-through and practice with a limited designation all week. Considering how important the abdominal muscles are for blocking and pulling, Jackson will be a big loss if he can’t go on Friday. McDaniel is hopeful he can play.
ACTIVE
RB Raheem Mostert (Ankle/Knee)
Mostert has been working through an ankle injury dating back to Week 7 and has been playing through a knee injury suffered in Week 9.
WR Braxton Berrios (Hamstring)
Berrios has been working through a hamstring injury suffered in the Thursday proactice prior to Week 9. He has been playing through the injury up until last week when he was ruled inactive. Fortunately, he was able to practice in full all week and has no designation.
WR Tyreek Hill (Right Hand)
Hill briefly went to the locker room for x-rays in the second quarter after getting tackled. He was able to return and other than pain, should have minimal impact on his performance on the short week.
INJURED RESERVE
RB Salvon Ahmed (Foot)
Ahmed suffered a foot injury at some point during the 20-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday despite limited touches. He confirmed on his Instagram that he suffered the foot injury and implied that it was a season-ending injury.
New England Patriots
QUESTIONABLE
LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (Hamstring)
Bentley was a sulfide inactive in Week 10 after playing through the hamstring injury originally suffered in Week 8. He was limited all week but with the bye, I expect him to play.
OT Trent Brown (Right High/Low Ankle, MCL Sprain)
Brown has been working through a right high-ankle sprain along with a low ankle sprain and MCL sprain originally suffered against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. He missed Week 10 due to a personal matter and with two weeks off, he should be able to play.
CB Jonathan Jones (Knee)
Jones continues to work through a knee injury suffered in Week 7 that limits him during the week but allows him to play Sundays.
WR DeVante Parker (Concussion)
After suffering a concussion in Week 8, he has missed the last two games. He was able to get limited practices this week and must be cleared by the independent neurologist to play.
WR Matthew Slater (Ankle)
Slater continues to work through his ankle injury suffered in the Friday practice prior to Week 10 and has not missed any games.
DL Deatrich Wise (Shoulder)
Wise is managing a shoulder injury dating back to Week 7 and has not missed any games.
ACTIVE
DL Christian Barmore (Right Knee)
Barmore continues to require weekly maintenance on his right knee dating back to Week 3, not missing any games.
CB Myles Bryant (Chest)
Bryant first appeared on the injury report with a chest injury ahead of Week 10 but played through the injury.
INJURED RESERVE
OL Riley Reiff (Knee)
Reiff’s designation to return to practice opened last week and he returned to practice on Wednesday as seen below. He has battled two separate knee injuries this year, suffering the first one in the preseason and missing the first four games before returning in Week 5 to sustain another separate knee injury.
New York Jets
DOUBTFUL
DB Michael Carter (Hamstring)
Carter was a late addition to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring injury prior to Week 11 before being ruled out on Sunday. He was unable to participate in the Tuesday walk through or the remainder of the week. Despite being doubtful, he will likely miss Week 12 on a short week.
QUESTIONABLE
OT Mekhi Becton (Right high-ankle/left knee)
Becton suffered a right ankle injury that by video looked like a high-ankle sprain early in the first quarter on Sunday.
He was unable to return to the rest of the contest and initial testing revealed to be a high-ankle sprain.
Later reports indicated that it was a low ankle sprain and that he would miss 1-2 weeks.
He has been trying to practice in order to play on Friday with it being a realistic chance as he plays left tackle and his right ankle is inside, allowing him to pivot on the leg. He was limping around at practice which isn’t a great sign to play Friday.
Life won’t be easy for him with Jaelan Phillips or Bradley Chubb coming off the edge, but an injured Becton is still a better option than what they currently have. He is a true questionable that I’m leaning towards not playing.
OL Duane Brown (Hip/Groin)
Brown has been practicing in full since being activated to open his practice window following his Week 2 hip/groin injury that sent him to injured reserve. The team was non-committal on whether he will be activated to return until they announced on Thanksgiving that he would. Considering Aaron Rodgers wants to come back, he needs the best offensive line out there, including Brown who needs the reps.
LB Sam Eguavoen (Hip)
Eguavoen missed last week’s contest due to a hip injury originally suffered against the final minutes of the win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10. He was unable to practice Tuesday before getting limited practices the past two days and is deemed questionable.
OL Billy Turner (Finger)
Tuner underwent finger surgery to repair a fracture after suffering an injury to the area in Week 9. He was able to get limited practices this week and is questionable.
TE Kenny Yeboah (Hamstring)
Despite practicing in full last week, Yeboah was not activated following his hamstring injury from the preseason, spending his time on injured reserve up to that point. He was able to practice in full all week and needs to be activated if he is going to play.
ACTIVE
S Tony Adams (Left 5th digit)
Adams appeared to break his fifth digit on his left hand with the bone poking out when he fell out of bounds early in the game.
He was initially questionable to return before actually returning to play in the second half. Apparently, they were able to suture things back up in the area and buddy tape to get through the game. He was able to get in full practices Wednesday and Thursday and will play.
DL John Franklin-Myers (Knee)
JFM first appeared on the injury report last week with a knee injury but played through the issue last week.
LB Jermaine Johnson (Hip)
Johnson appeared on the injury report this week with a hip designation following the Bills loss on Sunday.
LB Chazz Surratt (Ankle)
Surratt originally suffered an ankle injury back in Week 8 and has not been able to practice this then, missing the last three weeks. He was able to return to practice this week, practicing in full the past two days.
LB Quincy Williams (Knee)
Williams has been working through a knee injury dating back to Week 9 and has been playing the last few games.
WR Garrett Wilson (Right Elbow)
Wilson is playing through a right elbow injury originally suffered in the second half against the Raiders in Week 10. He appeared to suffered a hyperextension of the elbow and needed to wear tape on the inside portion of the elbow. Despite playing through the injury, he struggled mightily as he had two receptions on eight targets for nine yards. I do expect him to struggle again this week but haul in more than two receptions, though the Miami secondary won’t do him any favors.
TE Jeremy Ruckert (Left Shoulder)
Ruckert has been on and off the injury report the past few weeks with a left shoulder injury. He was observed wearing a bulky shoulder harness but was able to play in Week 11. Despite his presence on the injury report, he practiced in full all week and has no designation.
Buffalo Bills
OUT
CB Dane Jackson (Concussion)
Jackson was unable to practice all week until Friday with a limited practice, getting ruled out on Friday. This came after suffering a concussion late in the second quarter as a result of a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jets TE Jeremy Ruckert. This is Jackson’s first concussion and will require at least another week to fully recover.
S Taylor Rapp (Neck)
Rapp was unable to participate in Wednesday’s walk-through due to the neck injury that appeared to be a significant stinger. The injury forced him to leave the field on a stretcher before going to the locker room and undergo further testing the following day.
On Monday, there was hope that he could play pending he was symptom free. He was limited on Thursday but appeared to have a setback that led him to be ruled out on Friday prior to practice. Whether this was due to initiating contact or some type of movement, Rapp will have the benefit of an extra week with the bye to get fully right.
ACTIVE
CB Taron Johnson (Concussion)
Johnson suffered a concussion with a brief fencing response before being evaluated by training staff, ruled out quickly following the injury.
However, the fact that he was unable to practice in a walk-through wasn’t initially great for his chances to play on Sunday. He got a limited practice in on Thursday which kept his hopes alive. Fortunately, he was able to clear the concussion protocol in under a week the previous three times and this latest time was no different. The secondary will get a huge boost from his presence come Sunday.
Something worth noting was, the tweet above were the instances where a player did not practice during the first practice but played the following game. Not too many instances since 2017 initially made Johnson’s chances slim.
It’s also worth noting that this was Johnson’s fourth documented concussion since entering the league.
QB Josh Allen (Right Shoulder)
Allen continues to work through his right AC joint sprain suffered in Week 6 against the New York Giants. The last time he had an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing arm, he was on the injury report for six weeks, similar to what we are seeing now. I do not anticipate that he is on the injury report following the bye, barring a reinjur.
S Micah Hyde (Neck/Stinger)
Hyde is once again working through a stinger, his second in three weeks after he suffered the injury late in the third quarter. He came up following a routine tackle favoring the left arm as seen below.
He is limiting his contact during the week in order to be ready to play Sundays. The nerve either in the neck or shoulder remains irritated and needs some time to fully rest so he can move past this. He will be able to play on Sunday but he may further aggravate the nerve when he hits or tackles.
DB Cam Lewis (Right Shoulder)
Lewis took a hard shot to his right shoulder, appearing to aggravate his shoulder injury from Week 6. He was limited on Wednesday and Thursday before practicing in full on Friday. He needs to be as healthy as he can be in order to play the slot cornerback position with Taron Johnson out.
WR Trent Sherfield (Left Ankle)
Sherfield was able to practice in full all week after suffering a left ankle injury in the closing moments of the first half against the Broncos. By video, it was difficult to determine what he did, but he was able to play last week, seeing his usual complement of special teams snaps and some work in the offense.
LB Dorian Williams (Right Knee)
Williams suffered a right knee injury on a punt early in the fourth quarter against the Broncos. He was able to finish the game and was on the injury report as well last week. This was also the same knee that he suffered a hyperextension injury on the final play against the Giants. This appears to be an injury he is working though and potentially aggravated but will continue to play through.
INJURED RESERVE
RB Damien Harris (Neck)
Harris continues to work back from his neck injury but it remains a physical and mental effort to return. There was concern about this several weeks ago when the injury happened and with a child on the way, he may be thinking about his post-football career.
Top Photo Credit: Phinsider.com
