A win is a win. It wasn’t pretty but the Buffalo Bills are 12-3 with a 24-21 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. There are no style points or any of the sort, the Bills got the win. The Kansas City Chiefs have been living off the ugly win all year and are 14-1 which shows that all that matters is the final score.
The Bills may have played down to their opponent, but the Patriots are a divisional opponent that knows the Bills well. That means they’re going to know how to attack the weaknesses more effectively and exploit certain matchups.
Despite the win, the Bills did suffer several injuries of varying severity that could affect the availability for next week. Read below for the latest news on the injuries coming out of Sunday’s win and analysis.
In-Game Injuries
LB Baylon Spector (Right Calf)
Spector left the game late in the first half with a calf injury and was doubtful to return. Looking at the play below, there is a high likelihood that this is when he injured his calf. He was pushing forward engaging his calf muscles while getting pushed backwards which would have caused an eccentric contraction which is lengthening of the muscle under tension. Keep in mind that he came into the game questionable with a calf injury tweaked in practice on Thursday.
He signaled to come out and did not return. He was later doubtful to return and did not see another snap. After the game, Sean McDermott noted that they platooned Williams and Spector to avoid overloading each player which shows how important Matt Milano is to the defense as he was out with a groin injury.
Williams was playing with a left elbow injury coming into the game. When Spector left, the defense actually appeared to improve.
Spector later confirmed after the game that the problematic side is his right calf. This has been lingering dating back to the summer when he first tweaked it during the preseason during the Steelers joint practices. He also admitted that his left calf is beginning to bother him due to the fact that he needs to compensate and push off that side more.
I didn’t think he would play heading into the game due to the recency of the latest tweak but considering Milano was out and Williams was dealing with his injury, it made sense why they at least wanted to platoon. The easy thing would be to place Spector on injured reserve but that would keep him out until the AFC Championship game should the Bills advance that far or Super Bowl if they get the one seed. His knowledge of the defense is much more advanced than Ulofoshio or Andreessen. They did bring back Nick Morrow as well.
On Monday, Sean McDermott noted that Spector is week-to-week which should come as no surprise.
The Bills need to sit him for these last two games and let him rehab to be ready for the playoffs if he doesn’t go to IR. These are issues that won’t go away immediately, but they need to put enough duct tape on the issue to fix it for now.
LB Terrel Bernard (Head Check)
Bernard briefly left the game in the fourth quarter when he took a shot to the head or tweaked his neck as noted below.
He went off to the sideline to be checked and quickly returned to the game after a brief absence.
QB Josh Allen (Right Elbow Contusion)
The biggest injury of the night was when we saw Josh Allen shaking out his right hand following a routine run up the left side. He was twisted down on what appeared to be a normal tackle.
When he came up, he kept shaking out his right hand similar to what we saw back in Week 13, although this was his left hand that was bothered in that game. Still, the same thing happened, he hit his funny bone or ulnar nerve and he states that he lost feeling there for about 5-10 minutes.
A quick review with pictures shows where the ulnar nerve is exposed on the medial portion of the elbow as noted below. You can palpate this nerve if you find the inside bump or medial epicondyle of the elbow. Then push your finger underneath the bump and you can palpate the nerve. If you’re brave, you can even press it or hit it and you can feel the awkwardness that comes along with nerve discomfort.
This isn’t something that should linger and I would be very surprised if he’s on the injury report for this. This is only an issue because Josh Allen is QB1.
I am not concerned about the long term implications because there aren’t any. There are other instances where he could suffer nerve damage that could affect his gripping of the football if he were to have a neck or shoulder issue or a harder hit to his elbow like Marcus Mariota. Hitting his elbow once like he did will not cause issues.
Mariota did take a hit back in 2018 where he was forced to leave the game and missed the next game, then I’d be a little more concerned. Even with that instance, Mariota returned to play later that season.
CB Taron Johnson (Head Check)
Johnson received friendly fire from Terrel Bernard early in the fourth quarter while trying to complete a tackle. He initially entered the blue medical tent for evaluation before heading into the locker room.
Fortunately, he was able to exit the locker room and return to the game. Had he been diagnosed with a concussion, he wouldn’t have returned and that would have been his fifth concussion, but he is currently at four. It’s worth noting that the informant spotters signaled down and had him removed from the game for further evaluation. This is standard procedure anytime there is a concerning hit or signs of a concussion.
G David Edwards (Left Ankle)
Edwards missed two plays after rolling his left ankle late in the third quarter. He briefly required evaluation on the sidelines before returning to finish the game. It looks as though it was a low ankle sprain which will require some maintenance and rehab this week but shouldn’t limit him moving forward.
Other Observations
C Connor McGovern (Right Elbow)
McGovern had his right elbow which is his snapping side taped up heavily all game which was a difference from prior games. He has worn a bigger brace on the right side as compared to the left but the tape was a new addition. He has been wearing this brace all season and I have not been able to find out whether this is just because this is his snapping arm or if he has a prior injury.
Final Thoughts
The Bills are 12-3 and that’s all that matters. They have the New York Jets next who will also be playing for pride. They suffered several more injuries that could affect several starters for Sunday.
The goal at this point is to get to the playoffs fully healthy or as close to it. There are two games to go and self preservation is key. We are seeing that with Hamlin, Rapp, Samuel, and Milano sitting this past game to ensure there are not any lingering issues come Wild Card weekend.
Continue to check back for regular updates as the Bills prepare for the Jets on Sunday.
Top Photo Credit: Getty Images
