The moment we have all been waiting for is the NFL playoffs! The Buffalo Bills will play the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. Both teams come in hungry for success for different reasons. The Broncos make their first appearance in the playoffs since their 2015 Super Bowl Championship. They broke their eight-year playoff drought which was second only to their inception when they did not make the playoffs from 1960 until 1977 when they made their first Super Bowl run.
The Bills on the other hand are trying to break through and get past the divisional round after losing at that stage the last three seasons. They have the talent and experience to make it to at least the AFC Championship game and even the Super Bowl. They are the healthiest since the 2021 season when “13 seconds” happened. They need to find a way to utilize their health and gather any luck they can generate to get over the hump finally.
The Broncos are only missing LB Alex Singleton, who tore his ACL back in Week 3. They currently have only RB Tyler Badie on injured reserve but practicing in his practice window after suffering a back injury in Week 4. The Bills, on the other hand, only have LB Baylon Spector out with a left calf injury on injured reserve after dealing with a right calf injury that forced him to injured reserve twice now this season. Otherwise, the Bills haven’t lost anyone significant this year.
And if you need any inspiration for the game, former Bills DT Kyle Williams will be the Legend of the Game ahead of kickoff, watch below for some of his best career highlights.
Read below for the full injury breakdown for both teams along with projected inactives and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
QUESTIONABLE
CB Brandon Codrington (Left Hamstring)
Codrington was the only notable injury coming out of Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots as he deals with a hamstring injury. You can see the play below in where he was injured and on Thursday, confirmed the play.
He did not practice during the walk through on Wednesday but on Thursday was doing some light work including jogging and riding on the bike off to the side. Friday, he was able to run around and said that he feels back to normal.
Historically for the Bills, players who suffer a hamstring strain miss on average the next week. There are instances where players suffer a hamstring strain but are able to play through the game as noted below.
In most instances, the player is a key special teams contributor and playing on special teams limits their snaps and in turn their workload. However, all of the players listed above were veterans at the time. His status comes down to how severe the injury really was, likely minor based on what we saw on Thursday.
Considering he is a rookie, the cold temperatures don’t do well for soft tissue injuries, there is a moderate to high chance for re-injury, and there is a strong likelihood that they win and move onto next week, do they hold him out to be ready for potentially the Baltimore Ravens? That’s the information we don’t know and that’s not something the Bills will reveal either.
This may come down to how he feels on Sunday. He has trended in the right direction all week, and no one else has returned punts this year. I was initially pessimistic on his chances to play but too much has trended in the right direction to make me think he’s outright ruled out. Even if he fair catches punts, ball security in a playoff game is a bigger concern than the risk of re-injury for Codrington.
I’ll lean towards him playing.
ACTIVE
LB Terrel Bernard (Left Quad)
Bernard is set to return to play this week after missing last week’s game due to a left quad contusion suffered in Week 17 against the New York Jets as seen below.
Sean McDermott declared him good to go on Wednesday and he was able to practice in full. He still looks to be slightly limited in the video below but is overall moving well.
He very likely could have played last week but the team had nothing to play for and only benefitted from the time off. He will need a good warm up to get his muscle moving well and ensure he can play at full speed. Another hit to the area could certainly exacerbate the injury, but the hope is that the time off minimizes that concern and if it does happen, he can wrap it up to finish the game to limit the swelling.
DT DeWayne Carter (Right Wrist/Calf)
Carter is still requiring regular treatment for his right wrist ligament tear that required surgery suffered originally in Week 7. He missed five games total with four being spent on injured reserve and used the bye for extra time to heal.
WR Amari Cooper (Back)
Cooper was able to practice in full all week despite injuring his back in Week 17 against the New York Jets when he hit his tailbone falling down while catching a touchdown in the third quarter. He missed last week’s game due to a personal matter and returned on Wednesday.
CB Rasul Douglas (Left Knee)
Douglas is still working back from his left knee sprain suffered in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams after Cooper Kupp fell on his knee during a touchdown catch. He was forced to iss Week 15 and 16 but returned to play in Week 17, only wearing either a soft knee brace under his pads or tape.
S Damar Hamlin (Rib)
Hamlin returned to play last week after missing the last three games due to a rib injury originally sustained against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 14. It is unusual for a player to miss this long due to a rib injury, but he may have been held out to allow for Cole Bishop to get more playing time and to allow the suspected bone or cartilage to further heal for the playoffs.
CB Ja’Marcus Ingram (Personal)
Ingram missed Wednesday and Thursday’s practice due to a personal matter but returned on Friday following the birth of his child.
RB Ty Johnson (Right Knee)
Johnson is a new addition to the injury report with a knee designation following the loss to the Patriots. Looking back at the film, there weren’t any notable plays where Johnson suffered a knee injury and was slow to get up.
He was on the injury report in Week 2 and 3 with a left knee injury in Week 1 but it’s unlikely that that is related to this latest issue. He practiced in full all week and has no designation. He was seen in practice with a sleeve on the right leg suggesting the right side is bothering him as seen below.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid continues to require regular rehab for his left knee injury which appeared to be a PCL sprain back in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts. He was forced to miss the following three games and had the bye to recover.
DB Cam Lewis (Right Shoulder)
Lewis is still working through his right shoulder injury originally suffered back in Week 16 against the New England Patriots. He was forced to miss the following game before returning last week. The exact injury isn’t clear but considering he had a shoulder brace on the area suggests this may be an AC joint sprain.
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps)
Milano continues to rehab his left distal biceps repair requiring him to still wear a hinged elbow brace. He continues to round into form and is no longer on the injury report for the groin strain he suffered against the Detroit Lions in Week 15 that forced him to miss Week 16.
DT Jordan Phillips (Back)
Philips has been dealing with a back injury dating back to Week 16. This is not the first instance where he has had back issues as they have caused him missed time in 2021 and 2023. He has been playing in roughly 30 percent of defensive snaps this season although only saw three snaps last week as a means to allow him to rest.
S Taylor Rapp (Neck)
Rapp has played in the last two games after missing the prior two games following his neck injury in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers. The exact injury isn’t clear but it would not surprise me if we find the neck injury was far more severe than initially thought whenever the end of the season occurs.
WR Curtis Samuel (Rib)
Samuel returned to play last week after missing the last two games due to a rib injury picked up againt the Detroit Lions in Week 15. In his return, he had one of his most productive outings with 7 receptions for 52 yards with the receptions being a season high and the yardage only six yards off his season high. His play has limited him more than his injuries but hopefully he can put it all together for the next few games and force teams to account for him more.
DE Dawuane Smoot (Right Wrist)
Smoot is still rehabbing his right wrist injury suffered back in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins in which he tore two ligaments and required surgery to repair. He is still wearing a brace on the area and has largely returned to his regular workload on the defense.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Elbow)
Williams is still dealing with what appears to be a left elbow hyperextension originally suffered against the Detroit Lions in Week 15. He continues to wear a hinged elbow brace and has seen his snap count drop dramatically while Matt Milano plays, but this allows Williams to stay fresher in the event that Milano or Bernard goes down.
Denver Broncos Injury Report
OUT
OT Frank Crum (Illness)
Crum missed all last week with an illness and was ruled out for Week 18. He was unable to practice again this week and will miss his second consecutive game.
CB Damarri Mathis (Back)
Mathis was limited this week due to a back injury suffered in practice on Wednesday. He was limited Wednesday before being downgraded to did not participate on Thursday. Fortunately, he was able to get in a full practice on Friday and has no designation.
Looking at his snap counts this year, most of his playing time on special teams. I don’t anticipate his availability being a huge issue that will impact this game.
TE Nate Adkins (Abdomen)
Adkins is a new addition to the injury report this week working through an abdomen injury, practicing in full all week. He played most of the game on Sunday which makes finding this injury difficult and also indicates this may be more of a contusion or minor strain. This could be exacerbated in the cold and with play, but practicing in full all week suggests that it’s minor.
Looking at the statistics, Adkins leads all tight ends with three touchdowns but is third in yardage and receptions. Despite being listed as TE3 on the depth chart, he is still very much in the offense and can’t be discounted as an option if the first read is not available for Nix.
INJURED RESERVE
RB Tyler Badie (Back)
Badie is currently working within his 21-day practice window after suffering a back injury in Week 4 against the New York Jets as seen below.
https://youtu.be/nxBUhgrEmUE?si=Z_4Ip4yZvFU5ynZz
The exact diagnosis of the injury isn’t clear but having that much time off indicates it was something notable. While he is questionable, he will either have to be activated this week or immediately after the game should the Broncos win. If he is activated for Sunday, I don’t expect him to be heavily used or a major part of the offense.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
CB Kaiir Elam
DE Javon Solomon
OT Tylan Grable
QB Mike White
Call Ups: DT Eli Ankou, WR KJ Hamler
Denver Broncos Projected Inactives
OT Frank Crum
DE Matt Henningsen
QB Zack Wilson
RB Blake Watson
LB Levell Bailey
Final Thoughts
This is going to be a very competitive game with the Bills’ high-powered offense and the Broncos’ stingy defense. They lead the league this year in sacks and will most certainly try to pressure Josh Allen and try to get the offensive line out of whack. Considering the Bills’ offensive line is healthy right now, this will be an interesting matchup to watch. If Josh Allen can stay clean, then the running and passing game can get going and put pressure on the Broncos’ defense to wear down throughout the game. While the Bills’ defense has had its faults this year, the more three-and-outs they can force or limit scoring to field goals can allow the Bills offense to capitalize and score to get out to an early lead.
This Broncos team is talented with a strong defense, a veteran coach, and a young quarterback. All the coaching in the world can help get a team prepared to play, but if the defense is constantly on the field and the young quarterback can’t discern what is going on, this can lead to mistakes and turnovers, altering the game.
I expect this to be a great game to watch but ultimately a Bills win. They have bigger fish to fry to get the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs this year. They could hypothetically avoid them both if the Steelers can upset the Ravens in the Wild Card round and someone else takes out the Chiefs. Wishful thinking, but anything can happen. Let’s hope that the Bills can avoid significant injury and make it to the next round in full health.
Top Photo Credit: Angilo Allen
