Buffalo Bills versus the Miami Dolphins in primetime early in the season, what a great matchup! Both teams bring high-powered offenses and strong defenses to the field with most recent matchups being closer than not.
Both teams come in with several notable injuries that are either keeping key players out or have the potential to limit their effectiveness. While this is an early game in the season, whoever wins this game puts themselves firmly in the AFC East driver’s seat toward a division crown and home playoff game.
Below are the injuries for both teams along with projected inacties and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
OUT
DE Dawaune Smoot (Toe)
Smoot missed practice last Friday with a toe injury and was initially questionable before being downgraded to out on Saturday. He will now miss his second straight game and while that is concerning, it has only been a week since his injury. A median return to play takes 28 days as we saw with Curtis Samuel. He will have had 18 days to rehab once Week 3 rolls around with the game being on Monday night.
This might be enough time for him to return but given it’s early in the season, they may focus on getting him fully healthy so that the injury doesn’t linger. His practice participation will be one to watch come next Thursday when they return to practice preparing for Week 3.
CB Taron Johnson (Right Forearm)
After suffering a right forearm injury just seven snaps into the season, Johnson was initially questionable to return before being ruled out at halftime. New angles show that teammate Taylor Rapp directly hit the forearm when they were both attempting to tackle WR Greg Dortch.
On Monday, he was ruled out immediately for Thursday with the possibility that he does go on injured reserve. It’s not entirely clear the specific injury he is dealing with, but the possibility of a fracture could be in play. Based on their wording, we know it is not likely a displaced fracture that needs surgery to stabilize and repair because the team’s immediate response would have indicated that and reporting would have followed.
If a fracture is ruled out, then he could be looking at a lot of soft tissue damage or even the potential for ulnar nerve damage that needs time to heal.
He will miss this game and potentially more if the team’s testing doesn’t come back favorable.
DOUBTFUL
DE Javon Solomon (Oblique)
After being ruled out last week due to an oblique injury suffered sometime around the Labor Day break, Solomon was limited all week before being designated as doubtful.
From the research I’ve done, less than two percent of players play with a doubtful designation. I do not expect Solomon to play Thursday but it was promising that he did return to practice this week. Considering he is a rookie, it would not surprise me if the Bills were slow playing him given the short week and minibye coming up. Most Bills players with oblique injuries since 2017 miss one game and are on the injury report for two weeks.
Unless he has a setback, I expect Solomon to return to full practice next week and be ready to play in Week 3 if he isn’t a healthy scratch.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Left Hand)
Every time Josh Allen is injured, it is always a big story regardless of body part. This time, it is his left hand. This latest injury occurred when he hurdled Cardinals S Budda Baker and crashed into the end zone. As he fell, his right elbow smashed his left hand into the ground.
He required tape on the sidelines to stabilize the hand and manage swelling before returning to play. At the very least, it was a nasty contusion and at the very worst, a fracture. My guess is a pretty significant sprain given how his elbow hit between the middle and ring fingers.
Sean McDermott came out very emphatically on Monday stating that Josh was cleared to play and that he would start against Miami on Thursday.
At practice on Tuesday, he was observed with a glove and the middle and ring fingers taped together. That taping technique is often used with finger sprains and what I noticed was that with the tape, that affects his ability to grip the football which allows for more pinky finger involvement but preserves some grip strength.
While the throwing mechanics will not be affected by the left hand, snapping and quarterback-designed runs will. C Connor McGovern noted how he and Josh worked on handoffs and worked out some of the kinks.
While Josh will be forced to be a little less mobile, I believe he will be more selective with his movement outside of the pocket and may work on protecting the ball more to get through this game. Handoffs and snaps will be something to monitor to make sure there aren’t any turnovers either. I still expect him to bring his A-game against Miami though.
RB Ty Johnson (Left Knee)
Johnson had to briefly leave the game late in the third quarter Sunday with what appeared to be a left knee injury. He was initially questionable to return before returning early in the fourth quarter.
It’s not clear the exact injury he suffered, but after getting limited practices on Monday and Tuesday, he got a full practice in on Wednesday and does not have a designation.
TE Quintin Morris (Right Shoulder)
Morris appeared to suffer a right shoulder labrum tear as he fell out of bounds near the end zone against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason. He has been seen wearing a shoulder harness which is expected with an injury such as a labrum.
He saw several snaps on offense but the majority of his playing time on special teams as it has been often throughout his career. Considering he is practicing in full the injury report indicates he is still requiring treatment for his shoulder. He will continue to play through this until he has repeated subluxations or outright dislocation leading to missed time.
QB Mitch Trubisky (Left Knee)
Trubisky continues to practice in full after suffering a left knee injury over three weeks ago against the Pittsburgh Steelers. By video, there was concern for a higher grade MCL sprain that he has had to wear a hinged brace as he’s practiced.
Fortunately, he has not had to see any playing time but if Allen goes down, Trubisky appears to have the best understanding of the offense regardless of his knee. Hopefully, Allen continues to be available as Trubisky can continue to rehab.
Miami Dolphins Injury Report
OUT
RB Raheem Mostert (Chest)
Mostert was ruled out before Wednesday’s practice due to a chest injury originally suffered early in the game according to reports.
The exact injury is unknown but considering this is a chest injury, there is a concern for a possible SC joint sprain or rib issue designated as a chest. Considering the direct blows a running back sustains on every carry and block, he may be unable to perform those duties without significant pain.
I would expect Jeff Wilson Jr. or Jaylin Wright to step up in his absence on the short week.
WR Malik Washington (Quad)
Washington will miss his second consecutive game after suffering a quadriceps injury in the final preseason game. He appeared to have a setback last week as he did not practice last Friday and could not practice all week.
QUESTIONABLE
RB De’Von Achane (Left Ankle)
Achane is officially questionable after exiting the game late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be a left ankle injury. You can see the clip below.
Other medical professionals suggested a mild high-ankle sprain due to the toes getting caught in the turf as he was tackled, causing the eversion of the foot. While that is entirely possible and I can see the argument for that, Achane was observed walking around without a limp and participating in practice as limited on Wednesday.
I am not certain that this is a high-ankle sprain, but the exact mechanism of injury isn’t clear. If this is a true high-ankle sprain that is on the milder side, I don’t see how he plays.
But if this is more of a generalized low ankle sprain, taping up the area and playing on a reduced workload is very possible. Given that he has extra time off after the game, they may roll with him to see if they can squeeze even a few decent snaps. If he does play, I don’t expect him to be highly or even moderately productive.
CB Elijah Campbell (Achilles)
Campbell was limited Wednesday with an Achilles injury after having no designation earlier in the week. This indicates he suffered the injury on Wednesday and depending on the severity of the injury will dictate whether he plays Thursday. Considering the acuity of the injury, it does not seem likely.
ACTIVE
OL Liam Eichenberg (Shoulder)
There isn’t a lot of information on Eichenberg’s shoulder injury as he played in every offensive snap on Sunday. He was limited on Monday and Tuesday before getting a full practice on Wednesday.
This may have been more of a maintenance issue but something to note if he exits early.
DE Jaelan Phillips (Achilles)
Phillips played in 34 defensive snaps which came out to 64 percent which is less than his normal workload of 80+ percent. Considering he is still working back from the right Achilles tear, that is a pretty solid workload.
We may see his snap count increase slightly depending on the situation but the Dolphins would be smart to limit him throughout the season to prevent overworking him.
CB Jalen Ramsey (Hamstring)
Ramsey originally suffered a hamstring strain during training camp and out of practice since August 14. He eventually returned to practice ahead of Week 1 and while he was limited, he still played in 77 percent of defensive snaps.
Considering the lack of practice, that was pretty fair work after returning from extended time off. I do expect him to increase his workload for Thursday and be pretty close to 100 percent.
LB David Long Jr (Right Hand Finger)
Long was a full participant all week despite suffering a hand injury during Sunday’s. Reports came in that indicated the training staff were working on his fingers and possibly putting them back in place.
I’d expect him to have tape around the area and still play pretty close to normal.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
DE Dawaune Smoot
DE Javon Solomon
LB Joe Andreessen
LB Edufuan Ulofoshio
C Sedrick Van-Pran Granger
CB Taron Johnson
Call Up: DE Kameron Cline
Miami Dolphins Projected Inactives
RB Raheem Mostert
WR Malik Washington
LB Mohammad Kamara
LB Channing Tindall
CB Elijah Campbell
Final Thoughts
This game will come down to who makes fewer mistakes and can capitalize on excellent field position. These matchups over the past few seasons have been fantastic even though the end result has been heavily in Buffalo’s favor but produce some great games. Both teams have several notable injuries that will prevent each from bringing their best, but whoever wins this game places themselves in the pole position for the AFC East.
Despite the New York Jets being a preseason favorite to win the division, the title will either stay in Buffalo or head down to Miami and this early game will help decide it. There isn’t much else to say about the matchup other than it should be an excellent game regardless of the outcome and always hoping for no new injuries.
Top Photo Credit: Sports Illustrated
