“Well, well, well. How the turntables…”
Talk to any national media member and everyone thought the Bills would not even make the playoffs this year. They were suppose to finish third in the division behind the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. They were rebuilding after trading Stefon Diggs, releasing Jordan Poyer, Mitch Morse, and letting Gabriel Davis walk in free agency. They were suppose to be as the kids say, “mid”.
But here they are, in the AFC Championship game after defeating the winning the AFC East for the fifth consecutive year and beating the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs this year. This is a well coached team that has proven they know how to develop talent. They have Josh Allen.
And they have a group of players who aren’t afraid to lose.
On top of that, the Bills are the healthiest they’ve been heading into a postseason matchup with the Chiefs in years. There are still injuries to discuss including several concerns, but this game is shaping up to give the Bills the best chance to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.
Read below for the full breakdown of the injury reports for both teams, projected inactives, and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
OUT
S Taylor Rapp (Back/Right Hip)
Rapp was unable to practice on Wednesday or Thursday despite being classified as “day-to-day” by Sean McDermott. In addition, the injury report clarifies the injury as a back/hip which opens the possibilities of the injuries that he is working through.
At the time of the injury, I had thought he jammed the hip or at the very worst, tore his labrum due to the hyperflexion and compression of the joint. Several others have suggested that there is a sacroiliac joint issue which could explain the back issue. Rapp also had Hamlin’s left knee hit him in the back which could explain the designation as well.
I had said on Monday that if this was a labrum injury, he could play through it but would be limited. The thought was that if he rehabbed all week and tested it out on Friday then maybe he could play. However, he was unable to take the practice field and progress enough to give himself a chance to play. He was ruled out on Friday ahead of practice and should the Bills win, we can revisit this injury and assess his potential availability.
QUESTIONABLE
CB Christian Benford (Concussion)
Benford entered the concussion protocol after the hit to his head on Sunday as seen above during the onside kick. As noted in the video below, he was a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday in a red non-contact jersey before not practicing on Friday due to a personal matter.
This is his first known concussion and he appeared to move through the protocol fairly well. It’s worth noting that every Bills player that has had a concussion in the postseason dating back to 2017 were limited all week and played. They are: Ty Johnson (2023), Taron Johnson (2023), Ray Davis (2024). Both Taron Johnson and Davis were questionable but cleared the protocol. It appears that Benford will be the fourth to do so.
I do not believe that clearing the protocol for the playoffs is more aggressive or the training staff is clearing them too soon, but it’s an interesting observation. The Bills will either be able to take Benford through a workout on Friday or Saturday and have him evaluated by the independent neurologist to be potentially cleared. This is a wait and see approach but he appears trending towards playing on Sunday.
ACTIVE
OT Dion Dawkins (Illness)
Dawkins missed Wednesday’s practice due to illness but was able to return to practice in full on Thursday and Friday.
S Damar Hamlin (Rib)
Hamlin is still rehabbing from his rib injury originally suffered in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams. He was forced to miss three games as he healed but returned in Week 18 and has not missed a defensive snap since then.
CB Taron Johnson (Neck/Left Shoulder)
Johnson is still dealing with his neck injury from the Broncos game when he went low on Javonte Williams and compressed his entire cervical spine. After playing through neck soreness last week, he suffered a left shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter as the Ravens marched down the field to try and tie the game. You can see how he fell below. By video, there was a strong suspicion for a shoulder subluxation or partial dislocation of the shoulder.
He was able to get it reduced on the sidelines and tested it out before returning to play.
He was able to practice in full on Wednesday during the walk-through and then was downgraded to limited on Thursday and Friday but has no designation. He will play with the shoulder harness as noted below but on Thursday, he was confident that he would play.
When he does play on Sunday, he may be more apt to hit with his right shoulder when tackling and focus more on the use of the right arm. He will also be wearing a shoulder harness and will use his left arm to assist in catching, blocking, or tackling, but if he leads with the left shoulder, that could dislodge the humeral head and cause another instability event which could lead to him having to exit the game. If it comes down to it, he will make a tackle or play necessary to get a stop, but he has to be more mindful of how he hits so he doesn’t have to leave the game.
This is an injury he has played through dating back to his rookie year which means he has a good idea how his shoulder will respond along with what he can and can’t do.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid still requires regular rehab to his left knee following his left PCL sprain back in Week 10 that forced him to miss the Week 11 contest against the Chiefs. He continues to wear a hinged brace and sleeve on the area for stability.
CB Cam Lewis (Right Shoulder)
Lewis is still working back from a right shoulder injury that he suffered in Week 16 against the New England Patriots. He has been wearing a brace/harness on the shoulder since then but has not missed any games.
C Connor McGovern (Right Shoulder)
McGovern was on the injury report this week for a right shoulder injury as seen above in the video. He appeared to suffer an AC joint sprain when he landed on his right elbow with the arm in flexion, injuring where the clavicle meets the acromion at the top of the shoulder.
Despite the injury, he was able to practice in full all week and has tape on the area for stability. I do expect him to go out there with potentially a brace as well but that may be impacted by his right elbow brace that he has been wearing since training camp. There hasn’t been any documented injury to the elbow, but there may be some chronic or undisclosed issues that we may hear about after the season.
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps/Hamstring)
Milano was a mild surprise to the injury report with a hamstring injury after some elusive interview questions on Monday with Sean McDermott.
There wasn’t anything definite as to when his injury occured which was described as “hamstring soreness” but it wasn’t clear why he wasn’t on the field for the final four plays of the game. Either way, he returned to practice as a limited participant all this week and got some solid work in during practice on Thursday as seen below.
Milano has a long history of hamstring strains dating back to earlier in his career, missing one game every year with a hamstring strain from 2017-2021 with the exception of 2018. The fact that he does not have a designation heading into the game is promising, but there is a higher risk for him to re-injure the area.
One upside is that if this was an outright hamstring strain, he would not have practiced all week and he would have been ruled out. The fact that he was limited and could participate indicate that this is indeed a milder strain.
The same approach was taken for Alec Anderson last week and he did not aggravate the calf nor was on the injury report. The Bills training staff has a very low recurrence of soft tissue issues and even though Milano may not be 100 percent healthy, I don’t anticipate that he will be forced to leave the game early for this hamstring issue.
DE Greg Rousseau (Finger)
Rousseau is still dealing with a finger injury picked up against the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card round. There doesn’t appear to be any fingers that are buddy taped or limited with a brace which makes it difficult to discern what the injury is.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Elbow)
Williams still requires the use of a hinged brace on his left elbow following his injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 15. I had initially thought that he suffered a hyperextended elbow but due to the timeline since the injury, he may have suffered a UCL sprain.
INJURED RESERVE
LB Baylon Spector (Left Calf)
Spector opened his practice window on Thursday as he rehabs back from his left calf injury following the Week 16 win over the New England Patriots. He was on the injury report earlier in the year for a right calf strain with many of these soft tissue injuries continuing to crop up throughout his career.
He is officially questionable and eligible to play on Sunday if they activate him but it’s smart to get him practicing now in case there is an injury to the linebacking corps. I do not anticipate him being activated unless there is an absolute need for him.
Kansas City Chiefs Injury Report
ACTIVE
G Mike Caliendo (Shoulder)
Caliendo is a new addition to the injury report this week with a shoulder designation. He appeared in every offensive snap last week and several more on special teams. Looking back at the film, it’s not clear when he hurt the shoulder or how.
Considering that he played in every snap and did not have to wear any bracing on the shoulder, this may be a minor issue. This is also his first appearance on the injury report this season.
QB Patrick Mahomes (Right Ankle)
As seen in the video below, Mahomes suffered a right high-ankle sprain after he was tackled from behind. This occurred in Week 15 and he has been on the injury report since then. He has continued to do Patrick Mahomes things despite being listed as week-to-week after the initial injury. This week, he was able to practice fully without any issues.
Even if he tweaks the ankle again, he will likely get it taped up and play through the injury knowing what is at stake. This hasn’t affected his play greatly and his rushing totals appear to have remained consistent even after the injury. It’s an injury, but it’s Patrick Mahomes, it takes more than sprains to stop him.
OT Jawaan Taylor (Knee)
Taylor has been dealing with a knee sprain dating back to Week 12 and has not missed any games until Week 18 when Kansas City rested multiple starters. Looking at the video, he doesn’t have a brace on either knee which makes looking at which side was injured difficult. Considering he plays right tackle and hasn’t missed any games, it’s possible the injury was to the left knee which is the inside leg.
He continues to consistently perform despite the left tackle position having issues with consistency. He was able to practice in full all week and has no designation.
CB Jaylen Watson (Left Ankle)
Watson returned to play last week after suffering a fractured left fibula and tibia in Week 7 against the San Francisco 49ers. He has been on injured reserve since then after undergoing surgery to repair the fracture. His practice window opened on January 3rd and after two weeks of practice, he played 40 defensive snaps in the divisional round against the Houston Texans. Despite his presence on the injury report, he is still requiring rehab to further strengthen the ankle and manage any potential soreness after coming back to play.
He was able to practice in full all week and has no designation though he is not likely at the pre-injury level of play yet.
INJURED RESERVE
WR Mecole Hardman (Left Knee)
Hardman has been battling a knee issue all season after originally appearing on the injury report dating back to Week 5. He re-injured his knee and underwent surgery to correct whatever issues that he was dealing with. His practice window opened on January 1 but the Chiefs elected not to activate him to the roster, ending his season.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
S Taylor Rapp
CB Kaiir Elam
QB Mike White
DT DeWayne Carter
OL Ryan Van Demark
Call Ups: S Kareem Jackson, DT Eli Ankou
Kansas City Chiefs Projected Inactives
CB Keith Taylor
DE Josh Uche
OL CJ Hanson
OT Ethan Driskell
DE Malik Herring
Final Thoughts
Despite the injuries above, the Bills are the healthiest they’ve ever been since the 2021 season heading into the playoffs. They were only without Tre’Davious White due to his ACL tear and Ike Boettger due to his Achilles tear that season. Emmanuel Sanders was dealing with a balky right knee injury but still was able to play through the playoffs.
Looking at the regular season matchup, the Bills and Chiefs were actually missing quite a few players.
For the Bills:
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps tear/Right Tibial plateau fracture)
RT Spencer Brown (Right Ankle Sprain)
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left PCL Sprain)
WR Keon Coleman (Right wrist fracture)
DE Dawuane Smoot (Right wrist ligament tear)
DT DeWayne Carter (Right wrist ligament tear)
OT Tylan Grable (Core muscle repair)
LB Baylon Spector (Right Calf strain)
All are back except Spector who opened his practice window on Wednesday.
For the Chiefs:
RB Isiah Pacheco (Right fibular fracture)
DE Charles Omenihu (Right ACL tear)
K Harrison Butker (Left meniscus trim surgery)
CB Jaylen Watson (Left fibula and tibia fracture)
WR Marquise Brown (Right SC Joint repair)
Injuries play a huge part in game planning and this one is no different. The Bills certainly had more injuries that affected them during the first contest but the Chiefs were missing several key contributors especially on offense.
Despite the Chiefs having the healthier injury report, they have more contributors on injured reserve including WR Rashee Rice, WR Mecole Hardman, and WR Skyy Moore,
This is a game the Bills can and should win. But the mistakes have to be minimal and they have to take advantage of any mismatches available. Whoever wins, this will be a one-score win for the AFC Champions as they move onto the Super Bowl to take on the winner of the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles.
This is going to be a fantastic game that will have everyone on the edge of their seats.
Top Photo Credit: AP Photo/ Julia Demaree Nikhinson
Discover more from Banged Up Bills
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
