It is an excellent time to be a Bills fan! 9-2, their best start since 1992, and they just handed the Kansas City Chiefs their first loss of the season to drop them to 9-1. The Bills played aggressive football on Sunday and capitalized on nearly every opportunity they had to keep the game close and prevent Patrick Mahomes from doing what he does best. To cap it off, Josh Allen ran a crazy 26-yard run to score the game-winning touchdown followed by Terrel Bernard securing the game-clinching interception.
The Bills played fantastic and beat the Chiefs for the fourth out of five times in the regular season since Sean McDermott was hired as coach. While this is great, it doesn’t mean anything until they win in January. But even then, the Bills will have several reinforcements that could play to their advantage in finally getting over the hump.
Fortunately, the Bills did not suffer any major injuries though they had a few injury scares worth noting as they head into the bye.
In-Game Injuries
S Taylor Rapp (Left Foot)
Rapp was forced to leave the game early in the second quarter after the Chiefs scored to go up 7-6. He was designated as a foot and was questionable to return. Looking at the video, he either had his left foot hit and twisted or it was stepped on as noted below.
He went to the locker room and returned a short time later to finish the game. He had a left foot injury coming into the game that he has been dealing with for several weeks.
DE Casey Toohill (Undisclosed)
Toohill briefly went into the medical tent after the first Chiefs touchdown and popped right back out, receiving no designation.
Looking at the film, he played a few snaps during that Chiefs possession late in the first quarter that led to their touchdown, but nothing notable was on film. This may have been more of an observation that doesn’t turn out to be anything but worth noting coming out of the bye.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Eye)
Knox got his right eye scraped/poked by Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill as seen below. There was hands to the face and whether this was incidental or worthy of a penalty isn’t clear, but the thumb slipped inside the facemask and hit Knox.
He was assessed by training staff and briefly taken off the field before quickly returning. This shouldn’t be an issue that lingers or even be on the injury report next week.
RB James Cook (Right Foot/Ankle)
I only bring this up because several people had reached out and Nate Geary of WGR noticed this. In the original tweet, Cook had been taken down with 9:06 in the second quarter on what appeared to be a hip drop tackle. Geary had noted that Cook was limping as he got up. It looks as though Cook got his right foot caught up underneath when he was taken down.
Three plays later, Allen was intercepted and then it was some time before the Bills offense was back out on the field with 2:44 left in the second. Ty Johnson got a bulk of the workload though Cook had no designation. This may have been more by design but Cook was eventually able to return and finish the game.
WR Khalil Shakir (Right Hip/Back)
Shakir took a hard hit over the middle of the field and had Bryan Cook wrap him up with his forearm hitting Shakir’s right side. He grabbed the right back/hip area in pain before walking off with training staff. He was quickly assessed and returned after missing one play.
This may have been more hurt than injured, but the fact that he returned to finish the game and has the bye is positive.
OT Dion Dawkins (Left Ankle/Leg)
Dawkins had everyone concerned for several moments when he went down on a Josh Allen run up the right side late in the fourth quarter. By the broadcast view, he appeared to have his left ankle rolled up on, suggesting a high-ankle sprain.
However, the end zone view shows that Josh Allen kicked him in the side of the lower leg with the possibility of someone landing on the ankle. Dawkins was able to walk off under his own power and only missed one snap before returning to finish the game. Another more hurt than injured instance.
QB Josh Allen (Right Hand)
This one was only noticed by the broadcast when Allen threw the touchdown to Curtis Samuel and he was knocked over, glancing at his hand in discomfort before jogging off the field.
Its not clear whether he hit his hand on the Chiefs defender or if he hit his shoulder causing a mild stinger. Allen didn’t appear to require any medical attention on the sidelines and this would have been a non-issue otherwise.
This is also noteworthy as he experienced a similar issue against the Miami Dolphins in Week 8 as shown below. The bye week will do Allen wonders as he can avoid getting beat up on for a week to get ready for the final stretch of football before the playoffs.
On Monday, Sean McDermott denied any concerns about Josh’s right hand. This is twice now he’s had issues with his right hand, but this might be due to it being hit rather than something chronic. I will look into this further and determine if there’s any concerns.
Other Observations
S Taylor Rapp (Left Shoulder)
Rapp was on the injury report this week with a shoulder injury that turned out to be a left shoulder. He had previously had a shoulder brace on the right side but entered this game with his left shoulder taped up. You can see it in the interception below. It doesn’t tell us the extent of the injury, but it at least confirms the side.
WR Amari Cooper (Left Wrist)
Despite only having two catches on three targets, Cooley still played very well even with a cast on his left wrist. He downplayed how difficult his catch was, but to catch an NFL pass like he did with a cast on was impressive.
C Connor McGovern (Left Shoulder)
McGovern ditched the shoulder brace that he was wearing dating back to Week 6 against the New York Jets. His play hasn’t suffered due to the bracing or injury, but he appears to be on the mend.
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps/Right Leg)
Milano appears to be on track and could return as soon as Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers though there are no definite plans until after the bye.
Final Thoughts
That was one fantastic game that the Bills and Chiefs played, but everyone knows they need to do that again in January for this win to mean even more. This game may be a defining moment for Josh Allen in his quest for MVP, but he needs this type of game again to get past the Chiefs and into the Super Bowl.
Fortunately, this bye comes at a perfect time and allows the players to get healthy but also allow for several players to potentially return as highlighted by Sal Capaccio below. That is one heck of a lineup of players to return for the final stretch.
Watch for updates throughout the week but I expect this to be a quiet week as the Bills rest to get ready for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. Everyone reading, enjoy your bye week and Go Bills!
Top Photo Credit: Democrat & Chronicle
