The Buffalo Bills head out to the Midwest to face the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 10 matchup. The Bills sitting at 7-2 and one of the top AFC teams are playing a 4-5 Colts team that is fighting for a Wild Card spot, currently sitting in eighth.
The Bills and Colts come into this game each missing one of their key wide receivers but the Colts have a significant injury advantage. This comes after the recent return of DeForest Buckner coming off a high-ankle sprain but losing C Ryan Kelly to a knee injury.
Despite the injury mismatch, the talent and depth on each team may even things out to make this a competitive game. Read below for the full injury analysis for both teams along with projected inactives and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
OUT
WR Keon Coleman (Right Wrist)
Coleman’s injury has largely been shrouded in secrecy from the moment the injury happened until he returned to practice on Thursday. He was seen without a brace, without a wrap, and he was generally able to do a lot of conditioning. He did not catch any footballs but initially it at least suggested it’s a contusion especially with the swelling on the top of the hand.
However, Coleman was out at practice with a black wrist splint that did not have much thumb support on Friday. This suggests that there is some type of instability within the wrist complex itself. Sean McDermott noted that this could be a multi week thing and while IR was discussed, they decided against it.
Not putting him on injured reserve does two things. It allows him to practice with the team and allows him to return sooner if he heals up quickly. If he was on IR, he could not practice and he could not return to play until Week 15 against the Detroit Lions. That would stunt his growth tremendously especially as the playoffs near.
As to the exact injury, the team is being extremely cagey. McDermott noted it could be week-to-week but the way he said it seemed like he wasn’t committed to that being the timeline. A direct blow to the area could have caused an ulnar styloid process fracture, an area where ligaments connect the wrist to the forearm. This could also be a similar situation as to what we saw with Taron Johnson. If this is the case, then we are looking at a 4-6 week time frame with the timeframe being on the lower end considering Coleman’s age and location of the injury.
I don’t have a great read on this injury which means an exact timeline is very much up in the air. Working with the idea that this may be a fracture after all or ligament damage or an avulsion fracture suggests that he won’t play against the Chiefs and use the bye to get healthy. This is a wait-and-see until we get more clues.
QUESTIONABLE
LB Baylon Spector (Calf)
Spector was limited Friday with a calf designation, leaving him questionable for Sunday. It’s not known which side he injured, but my bet is the right side. He missed the second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a right calf injury. Due to the recency of the injury, I don’t expect him to play.
It would not surprise me if he misses next week as well given that calf injuries take roughly two weeks.
Update: Spector has been placed on IR.
WR Amari Cooper (Left Wrist)
More details regarding Amari Cooper have been disclosed including video and pictures of him wearing a cast on his wrist. We saw last week how he had the hand heavily taped under a glove but was catching footballs but he ultimately missed the game.
Cooper noted that he blocked and fell during the game against Seattle which had me go back and look at the film. Below is the only instance where he blocked and fell during the entire game, he landed on that left wrist.
Knowing he has had a cast on the area the last two weeks, a fall on an outstretched hand or FOOSH injury can cause a lot of issues. However, the mechanism of injury and cast provide some clues as to what the exact injury may be. There isn’t a lot of support around the thumb which rules out scaphoid. We have seen players play through that injury but DeWayne Carter recently had surgery and he required extra thumb support indicating that his was a scaphoid issue.
This also likely isn’t an outright wrist fracture like a Colles or Smith as that would require surgery or an IR stint. The same could be said for a radial or ulnar styloid fracture, he wouldn’t be catching passes immediately.
This leaves a TFCC tear or an avulsion fracture to the triquetrum. The triangular fibrocartilage complex or TFCC is an area of cartilage on the ulnar aspect of the hand. It acts as a shock absorber and stabilizer of the wrist to the forearm. If this is torn, he would have difficulty gripping, clicking, and instability. Cooper did not that he didn’t have issues with grip, but the cast was impacting his ability to catch the football.
This leaves the avulsion fracture of the triquetrium. This is the second most common wrist fracture following the scaphoid fractures. This is when a piece of bone chips off with the ligament. This is also caused by a FOOSH injury. Immobilization would be recommended for four-to-six weeks which wouldn’t be ideal.
The ideal situation is the TFCC tear which would have a shorter time frame in that they can manage it non-operatively. The literature shows that immobilization for 2-4 weeks is recommended and no activity for 3-6 weeks based on the severity of the injury. With Cooper being limited this week, I would expect him to sit this week based on the new information. The literature suggests that he will miss next week but if he is healing well, that may change. I would rather have Cooper miss this week in order to play against Kansas City.
FB Reggie Gilliam (Hip)
Gilliam suffered a hip injury in practice last week which led to him being downgraded to out on Friday. Without video or additional details, it’s difficult to establish a timeline. However, I do expect he tries to play after a week off.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Left Hand)
Allen continues to require treatment on his left hand after striking his right elbow against the hand scoring a touchdown in Week 1 as he fell. He continues to wear the glove either due to protection or out of habit.
CB Christian Benford (Right Wrist)
Benford missed last week due to a wrist injury that he has been battling for several weeks now according to reports. He did appear to aggravate it against the Seattle Seahawks with several possibilities but no clear-cut mechanism of injury.
He has been practicing with a brace on his right wrist all this week and appears on track to play. Whether he just needed a week off due to an aggravation or had some type of minor procedure isn’t clear. Coverage doesn’t appear to be an issue, this comes down to whether he can block and tackle effectively.
LB Terrel Bernard (Right Ankle/Left Pectoral)
Bernard continues to work back from his right ankle sprain that forced him to miss the Week 8 contest against the Seattle Seahawks. He appeared a step slower but still was able to play in every defensive snap. The ankle injury is the primary issue at this point versus his pectoral strain sustained in Week 2. There is likely a level of instability within his ankle that will have to be managed for the rest of the season with rehab and tape/bracing.
OL Spencer Brown (Wrist)
Brown has been on the injury report for the last two weeks after appearing to suffer the injury in Week 8. He has played in 100 percent of snaps the last two weeks and has no extra bracing or tape on either wrist.
CB Kaiir Elam (Left Shoulder)
Elam suffered a dislocation to his left shoulder covering Tyreek Hill as noted below. He had told reporters that the shoulder popped out and needed to be put back in which strongly suggests capsular and or labrum damage.
Elam will be playing with a shoulder harness this weekend and moving forward to assist with stabilizing the shoulder. His chances to have another instability event is as high as 55 percent so do not be surprised if we see him get injured again on special teams or if he does get some defensive work in. He can play through the injury, but he’s at higher risk now.
WR Mack Hollins (Left Shoulder)
Hollins has been working through a shoulder injury that he injured against the Houston Texans in Week 5. It appeared he suffered a left shoulder injury and due to the timeline we’ve seen over the last month, this may be an AC joint sprain that needs an injection for the game to manage the pain.
He may have aggravated the injury at practice this week which led to his limited designation but he has no status for the game.
CB Taron Johnson (Right Forearm)
Johnson continues to wear a brace on his right arm where he suffered a hairline fracture in Week 1 after Taylor Rapp collided with him. He missed four games but returned in Week 6 and continued his stellar level of play. At this point, the bone is healed but he may be still having some occasional discomfort.
DT DaQuan Jones (Foot)
Jones has been on the injury report with a foot designation dating back to Week 6 against the New York Jets. I haven’t found any specific instances of when he injured the foot. He continues to appear in his normal snap count without any notable changes.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid has been on the injury report dating back to Week 6 with a right collarbone issue that appeared to be an SC joint sprain. That body part is off now and he is working through his knee issue which appears to be patellar tendinitis based on the tape job below.
He continues to play through his normal complement of snaps a with this being more of a maintenance issue.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Ankle)
Knox has been working through a right ankle injury dating back to Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. He played on a season high 65 percent of snaps on Sunday but this is not much more than what he has been playing every week.
DB Cam Lewis (Shoulder)
Lewis is the only new name added to the injury report this week with a shoulder injury he practiced in full with all this week. He saw most of his work on special teams and 20 percent of defensive snaps. I will be looking for any tape or shoulder braces but this shouldn’t be an injury that significantly limits him.
TE Quintin Morris (Right Shoulder/Hamstring)
Morris has been on the injury report dating back to the preseason when he suffered a right shoulder injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He continues to wear a shoulder harness for stability. He tweaked his hamstring against the Seattle Seahawks but has been able to play through the injury including catching a touchdown last week.
S Taylor Rapp (Left Foot)
Rapp has been dealing with a left foot injury dating back to potentially Week 7. He required treatment and assessment ahead of the Seattle Seahawks game but was not on the injury report that week. He was on the following week with tape around his ankle and midfoot but appeared in every defensive snap last week.
WR Curtis Samuel (Right Pectoral)
Samuel played last week to my surprise as he works through a right pectoral strain suffered two snaps into the Week 7 contest versus the Tennessee Titans. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady noted in his Monday press conference that Samuel was on a snap count where he played 17 snaps and only received one target.
I would expect more of the same with Samuel slowly increasing his workload but he needs to get more involved in the offense.
Considering Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper may be out along with a limited Mack Hollins, there’s no excuse why Samuel can’t have a breakout game this week.
DE Casey Toohill (Left Knee)
Toohill suffered a left knee injury early in the fourth quarter when his left foot slipped, stressing the medial portion of his knee.
Despite returning to the game, Toohill still required the use of a hinged knee brace during practice this week. This further suggests that he suffered the MCL sprain. Despite it being relatively mild, it still hurts and would limit his ability to push off the leg when coming around the edge or changing directions. He was able to practice in full this week but may limit his work more to special teams.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Knee)
Williams continues to require treatment on his left knee injury suffered against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7. He has been wearing a hinged knee brace the last two games as he plays through what appears to be a mild MCL sprain.
Indianapolis Colts Injury Report
OUT
WR Michael Pittman (Back, Finger)
Pittman has been dealing with his back injury dating back to Week 5 when the injury first cropped up. The initial thought was that he would miss a game or two with discussion ramping up to a potential injured reserve stint.
That discussion was tabled and he has been playing through the injury appearing in most offensive snaps during the week. He has seen a decline in his targets and production has tanked, securing just eight receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown. He is clearly not 100 percent and the team elected to sit him this week.
As for his finger, it appears he dislocated his ring finger as he said it was 90 degrees to his pinky finger. He had it reduced and taped up and should largely not affect him this week as he will have it taped up again.
ACTIVE
LB Zaire Franklin (Ankle)
Franklin was added to the injury report this week with an ankle injury and missed Wednesday’s practice. He was able to return on Thursday with a full practice and appears ready to go on Sunday.
OT Matt Goncalves (Shoulder, Finger)
Goncalves is another new addition to the injury report this week with shoulder and finger injuries after appearing in 100 percent of snaps in his first extensive game action this season. We may see a shoulder harness or tape on the affected areas but he was able to practice in full this week.
DE Dayo Odeyingbo (Elbow)
Odeyingbo was a new addition to the injury report this week with an elbow injury after appearing in 75 percent of the defensive snaps last week. He was able to practice in full all week and has no designation.
OT Bernhard Raimann (Concussion)
Raimann suffered a concussion coming off the Week 8 loss to the Houston Texans, missing the following week against the Minnesota Vikings. He was able to return to practice this week and practiced in full all week, cleared to return.
OT Braden Smith (Knee)
Smith has been dealing with a knee injury dating back to at least Week 3 when he first appeared on the injury report. He has had several instances where he has been questionable but he has not missed any games this season and has played in 100 percent of snaps with the exception of Week 7 where he played in 98 percent of snaps.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
WR Keon Coleman
WR Amari Cooper
OL Will Clapp
LB Baylon Spector
OT Ryan Van Demark
DT Jordan Phillips
Call Up: WR Tyrell Shavers
Indianapolis Colts Projected Inactives
WR Michael Pittman
DE Genard Avery
DT Adam Gotsis
CB David Long Jr
C Danny Pinter
Final Thoughts
While the Bills appear to be the better team on paper, the Colts are still led by a veteran quarterback in Joe Flacco who has proven he can still produce even at his advanced age. He has several receiving options and an excellent running back in Jonathan Taylor.
The last time these teams met in the regular season, Taylor ran wild all over the Bills to a 41-15 victory. With the way the Bills run defense is with them letting the team run but trying to avoid the explosive play, that dam could break leading to a long day like we saw with Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens.
Even with the Bills down potentially their top two wide receivers, this could be the time for the tight ends in Knox and Kincaid to get more involved. This would also be a great time for a Curtis Samuel breakout game. The Bills should win this one but could get in trouble if they can’t control Taylor and allow turnovers.
This is a key AFC matchup with the Bills needing to continue to stack wins knowing that Kansas City is next week.
Top Photo Credit: Bill Wippert/Buffalo Bills
