Week 14 in the AFC East kicks off on Thursday with the New England Patriots playing the Pittsburgh Steelers. In what once was a fierce postseason rivalry often culminating in the AFC Championship game now sees the Patriots battling through a lost season and could play spoiler to the Steelers fighting for a playoff spot.
Other games include a huge AFC matchup between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, the New York Jets taking on the Houston Texans, and the Miami Dolphins playing the Tennessee Titans.
Get the full injury reports for each team below!
Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | New York Jets | Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
OUT
OT Robert Hunt (Hamstring)
Hunt aggravated his hamstring injury he has been dealing with dating back to Week 8. He was unable to practice all this week and has been ruled out, likely as a precaution looking to the playoffs.
QUESTIONABLE
OT Terron Armstead (Left Knee/Right Ankle)
Armstead suffered yet another injury, this time to his right ankle due to a leg whip as seen in the clip below. There is considerable pain and swelling in the area following an injury like this which is why he was unable to practice Thursday but got some limited work on Friday and Saturday.
S Jevon Holland (Knees)
Holland missed last week’s game against the Packers with injuries to both of his knees as a result of overstretching on a play in Week 12. He was unable to practice on Thursday before getting limited practices on Friday and Saturday, officially questionable for the game.
According to Holland, he is ready to get after it and play on Monday.
ACTIVE
WR Tyreek Hill (Ankle)
Hill originally injured his ankle in Week 12 but was able to practice through the issue and play in Week 13. Going for 157 yards and 2 touchdowns including a 78-yard run indicates that there aren’t any issues moving forward.
OT Kendall Lamm (Back)
Lamm has been battling a back injury that cropped up the day of in Week 12. He has not missed any time but has only seen his playing time on special teams except for eight snaps on offense in Week 11.
RB Raheem Mostert (Knee)
Mostert has been dealing with his knee injury since Week 9, not missing any games.
TE Durham Smythe (Ankle)
Smythe is still working through his ankle injury dating back to Week 8 which has forced him to miss only one game in Week 10.
DT Christian Wilkins (Groin)
Wilkins popped up on the injury report with a groin designation on Friday, forcing him to get limited practice in but returned to full status on Saturday.
RB De’Von Achane (Ribs)
Achane is back on the injury report with a ribs designation, different from the knee injury that has hampered him most of the year. He was able to practice in full this week indicating this is not much more than bruised ribs that will likely require protection and possibly an injection.
FB Alec Ingold (Ankle)
Ingold continues to be on the injury report dating back to Week 5 but his ankle injury has been present since only Week 11, indicating that he is slowly improving his health.
OL Robert Jones (Knee)
Jones has now missed the last three games plus the bye due to a knee injury suffered in Week 9 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He was able to practice in full all week and will return to play.
INJURED RESERVE
RB Chris Brooks (Knee)
After getting his practice window opened last week, he was unable to get activated for Week 13. He was limited all week and officially questionable, still needing to be activated to play.
LB Jerome Baker (Left MCL Sprain)
Baker was the victim of friendly fire as he attempted to chase down Curtis Samuel from scoring a touchdown in Week 13. Regrettably, Brandon Jones tried to do the same and took out Baker in the process, spraining his left knee. On Saturday ahead of practice, he was placed on injured reserve and will be eligible to return in Week 18.
LB Jaelan Phillips (Right Achilles)
Lost in the volume of Dolphins injuries last week, I forgot to mention the loss of Jaelan Phillips who suffered a right Achilles tear against the Jets in Week 12. He has since undergone surgery shortly after the injury and has already begun rehab.
Considering he is in the boot, he may have undergone the Speedbridge repair which can help facilitate a quicker return. Week 1 is not out of the question, barring setbacks. Unfortunately, it may be nearly another year before we see the return of what Phillips was able to do this season before the injury.
New England Patriots
OUT
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (Right High-Ankle Sprain)
Stevenson will be out for the foreseeable future due to a right high-ankle sprain suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Stevenson was taken down late in the first quarter on a routine run up the middle where he was taken down by a hip-drop tackle. The suddenness of the tackle plus pain caused Stevenson to fumble the ball which led to a turnover.
Considering how tricky high-ankle sprains can be especially at the running back position, I expect him to miss the next two to three games at least. Even when he does come back, he will still not be 100 percent and may struggle with burst and acceleration. Considering how the season has gone to this point, he should be in no rush to return until he is healthy.
WR Kayshon Boutte (Shoulder)
Despite playing only 11 offensive snaps in the Week 12 loss, Boutte missed the Chargers game due to the shoulder injury and an illness that appears to be going through the locker room. He was not listed as a participant during Monday’s practice and limited on Wednesday but ruled out.
WR DeMario Douglas (Concussion)
Douglas continues to miss practice due to a concussion suffered in Week 12, his second of the season. He was listed as not practicing on Monday in the projected practice report and was unable to practice the rest of the week, ruled out for Thursday. It may be some time before he returns to participating in practice.
CB Shaun Wade (Illness)
Wade would have missed Monday’s practice with an illness and was limited the rest of the week before being ruled out for Thursday.
OL Riley Reiff (Knee)
Reiff is in the final week of his practice window as he continues to recover from his knee injury suffered in Week 5. The team ultimately decided not to bring him back to the active roster, ending his season after playing in only one game.
QUESTIONABLE
DL Christian Barmore (Shoulder)
Barmore has been a mainstay on the injury report all season due to a knee injury but is now on this week due to a shoulder issue. He was limited all week and officially questionable heading into Thursday’s game.
OT Trent Brown (Right High-Ankle/Hand)
Brown is still working through the right high-ankle sprain suffered against the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. He missed the following two games but has since played in a somewhat limited role the past two games with 76 and 67 percent of snaps, respectively. On Sunday, he added in a hand injury. It’s not clear how he injured the hand but depending on the side, that may impact his ability to block inside or outside.
WR DeVante Parker (Knee)
Parker is back on the injury report due to a knee injury after spending the prior several weeks working through a concussion. No additional information is available on the exact details and he is questionable for Thursday.
WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Ankle)
Smith played in most of the offensive snaps on Sunday, recording just one catch in the 6-0 loss to the Chargers. He was limited all week due to the ankle but will possibly play due to the status of Demario Douglas and DeVante Parker.
ACTIVE
OL Sidy Sow (Ankle)
Sow was limited all last week with an ankle injury but ended up playing in 100 percent of snaps in Week 13.
EB Ezekiel Elliott (Thigh)
Elliott saw a season-high 69 percent of snaps in both the passing and running game following the ankle injury to Rhamondre Stevenson in the first quarter. The thigh injury that he came in with left him initially questionable but the issue may slow him, but not stop him.
LB Chris Board (Back)
Board was questionable heading into Week 13 with a back injury but was able to play in every special teams snap with all of his playing time normally been on that unit this season.
DL Deatrich Wise (Illness)
Wise was ruled out of Sunday’s game due to illness after entering the game with a shoulder injury dating back to Week 7. He was still working through the illness on Monday, forcing him out of the projected practice. He was able to return for the remainder of the week and is still on the report due to his shoulder.
New York Jets
OUT
WR Jason Brownlee (Left Ankle)
Brownlee had his left ankle cut out from under him sometimes in the second half against the Atlanta Falcons. He was unable to return and has been ruled out ahead of Week 14.
QUESTIONABLE
DL John Franklin-Myers (Ankle)
JFM suffered an ankle injury at some point in the game but played his usual snap count which makes it difficult to identify when he suffered the injury. He is officially questionable following a limited practice on Friday.
OT Carter Warren (Hip)
Warren was a late addition to the injury report with a hip designation following a limited practice on Friday. He is officially questionable. He did have a hamstring injury heading into Week 13 that he played through.
RB Breece Hall (Ankle)
Hall picked up an ankle injury in the loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 13. It’s not clear when he suffered the injury, but he has since come out and stated that he would play Sunday.
ACTIVE
OL Mekhi Becton (Left Knee)
Becton continues to require regular maintenance due to load management for his surgically repaired knee.
TE Tyler Conklin (Hamstring)
Despite picking up a hamstring designation following Week 13, Conklin has no designation after a full practice Friday.
OL Billy Turner (Finger)
After missing two games due to a finger injury that required surgery back in Week 9, he continues to require treatment as the area heals.
LB Quincy Williams (Knee)
Williams continues to battle through a knee injury dating back to Week 9.
INJURED RESERVE
QB Aaron Rodgers (Left Achilles)
Rodgers continues to work within his practice window as he rehabs from his left Achilles tear in Week 1. He was able to get limited practices on Thursday and Friday though that may have been as simple as one snap under center. The Jets will technically have to make a decision next week on his status but I do not expect he gets activated.
OL Wes Schweitzer (Calf)
Schweitzer is still working back from a calf injury suffered in Week 8. He has yet to be activated but appeared to have suffered a setback, unable to practice all week. He will need to be activated to the roster in order to play.
TE CJ Uzomah (MCL)
Uzomah went to injured reserve on Tuesday following his MCL sprain suffered during Sundays loss. While the injury was not season-ending, this did open a spot for fellow TE Kenny Yeboah to be activated back to the roster after his preseason hamstring injury.
DT Perrion Winfrey (Right Foot)
Winfrey suffered a right foot injury in the third quarter during a special teams play that required the use of a cert to get off the field. He also required an aircast on the area suggesting a broken foot. He has been placed on injured reserve and his season is likely done.
Buffalo Bills
QUESTIONABLE
TE Dawson Knox (Right Wrist)
Knox appears set to return following wrist surgery completed prior to Week 8 that sent him to injured reserve. The thought was that he had a partial scapholunate ligament tear and potential TFCC tear with resulting surgery. He returned within the timeframe that was given in the article linked here.
You can see in the clips below Knox catching the football and blocking indicating that he does not have many limitations. He should be activated to the roster with a corresponding veteran release.
CB Kaiir Elam (Ankle)
Elam opened his 21-day practice window after being placed on injured reserve prior to Week 9. He had been playing through an ankle injury that had dated back to the preseason, likely a bone bruise. His return may come down to who they can release and when. Despite his questionable status, the team was not anticipating that he would be activated.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Right Shoulder)
Allen continues to require maintenance on his right throwing shoulder dating back to his right AC joint sprain in Week 6 against the New York Giants. He was on the injury report for six weeks back in 2020 due to his left AC joint sprain and now it has been eight weeks including the bye. He has aggravated it several times afterward and considering it is his throwing shoulder, this is not concerning for him to be on this long.
LB Leonard Floyd (Wrist)
Floyd was able to practice in full all week despite picking up a wrist injury against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s not clear what the exact injury is but he was able to practice in full this week suggesting it’s not a big issue.
CB Dane Jackson (Concussion)
Jackson is officially cleared following his concussion that forced him to leave the game in the first half against the New York Jets. He is on the injury report due to the fact that he did not clear the protocol before they bye. This shows transparency that he has been able to clear protocol.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Thumb)
Kincaid was the other new addition to the injury report with a thumb issue. It’s possible he injured the thumb blocking which could impact his ability to haul in passes. We may see a tape job on his side affected but he has no designation.
S Taylor Rapp (Neck)
Rapp is set to return after suffering stingers in back to back weeks before missing Week 12. The week off allowed for a reduction in symptoms and a full return to contact without pain. There may be underlying issues but they are unknown at this time until potentially after the season.
Top Photo Credit: Phinsider.com
