The 4-1 Buffalo Bills take on the 2-2 Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football in Week 6 as they look to move to 5-1. Due to being in different conferences, this is not a common opponent with the Bills having played the Falcons 13 times total and have six wins to their seven losses. However, the Bills have won the last two meetings.
The Bills look to get back into the win column after losing 23-20 to the New England Patriots. The Falcons are coming off their bye after beating the Washington Commanders 34-27 in Week 4. Both of the teams will be missing key contributors due to various injuries throughout the season, but this game could be a toss up despite the Bills being favored -4.5 according to Caesars.
Read below for a full analysis of each injury report along with projected inactives and discussion regarding the recent roster moves.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
OUT
LB Matt Milano (Right Pectoral)
Milano exited the Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots after one-arm tackling with his right arm late in the first half as seen above. Sean McDermott confirmed that he aggravated the pectoral strain that had cost him the two prior games and left him unable to practice all week. I don’t expect to see Milano until Week 9 at the earliest as they allow the muscle to heal with rehab.
I don’t believe Milano was rushed back either. He likely wanted to play, and he was moving well at practice the week prior. He was also wearing a shoulder harness on the area, and what did him in was arm tackling with the affected side. Even if he had sat out another week and he arm tackled, I believe this would have still led to the same outcome. It is a shame that such a talented player can no longer stay healthy.
QUESTIONABLE
TE Dalton Kincaid (Oblique)
Kincaid originally appeared to injure his right hand in Sunday’s game though didn’t miss any snaps for the rest of the game. It was reported that he was sore on Monday but not needing an injury designation.
However, on Thursday, he was in a red non-contact jersey as he worked through his drills in practice.
It isn’t clear when he injured the oblique, but the tweet below highlights some potential instances.
Previous history suggests that he doesn’t play based on previous management of oblique injuries, but all previous instances have had multiple DNP’s. The only player to have an oblique injury, was limited all week, and played was DT Austin Johnson last year. However, this was after he missed the prior week due to the same injury.
Considering all that we saw him do at practice this week despite the red jersey, the bye on the other side of this game, and how they can limit his snaps, he could realistically play.
WR Curtis Samuel (Neck/Ribs)
Samuel suffered a neck/ribs injury at some point during Sunday’s loss to the New England Patriots. Below are several instances of plays where he could have suffered the injury though it wasn’t clear when the injury happened.
He was limited Thursday, downgraded to did not participate on Friday but returned on Saturday as a limited participant. He was listed as a full participant prior to practice on Thursday but later switched to limited. So it’s not clear what injury led him to be full and if there was an injury in practice that led to the downgrade later.
Given his injury history and the availability of Elijah Moore, I don’t see how he plays.
ACTIVE
OT Dion Dawkins (Left Thumb)
Dawkins left Sunday’s game with his left wrist in a splint with minimal information that followed. Looking at the video, he appeared to get his left thumb tangled up in the Patriots pads or jersey, seeing him grab at the thumb briefly.
On Thursday, he was limited though it did not appear that he had anything on his left hand during practice. He was observed during his Friday press conference without anything on his hands and no discoloration, swelling, or deformities noted.
He was able to practice in full on Friday and Saturday with no designation. I expect to have his hand taped up for the game but see no change in his ability to protect Josh Allen.
DT Ed Oliver (Left Ankle)
Oliver has missed the last four games after getting his left ankle stepped on during practice following the Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens. We have never gotten a clear picture what the injury was, though I have suspected that it was a high-ankle sprain based on the mechanism of injury, initial management after, timeline, movement patterns, and how he responded from his right high-ankle sprain in 2022.
He is moving well in the practice clips as seen above. He also doesn’t appear to be limping around after the play like we saw last week.
He appeared to be back to normal and stated as much during Friday’s interviews, highlighting that his conditioning and pain levels are better than they were last week. I had thought that he could have played last week out of necessity due to TJ Sanders sitting out with his own injury. Oliver went on to say how the bye week afterward didn’t really impact the decision-making on whether to play this week. In hindsight, he should have been placed on injured reserve, but if there was a chance he could return sooner, they made the right decision even if he still missed four games.
Oliver came out Friday and outright said that he’s playing Monday, simply a great update.
S Taylor Rapp (Nose)
Rapp was an interesting addition to the injury report on Thursday, with a nose designated as a limited participant. Pictures from Thursday reveal no visor and markings on his nose, but Friday showed him wearing a visor, confirming the injury occurred in practice. This could be very similar to the Josh Allen nose injury by wearing a visor, but this should not affect his performance on the field.
LB Dorian Williams (Knee)
Williams was able to return to practice this week and does not have a designation heading into the game. He’s been wearing sweatpants all week so it’s difficult to determine if he has a brace on the right side or if this is another injury to his left knee. His return helps mitigate the loss of Matt Milano missing this week.z
NEW SIGNING
LB Baylon Spector
Spector returns to the practice squad after being waived/injured on August 6 due to a calf injury. The tweet below highlights some of the various injuries that Spector has dealt with over the last few years.
As much as he has gotten injured, he does know the system and can contribute in a limited capacity. Considering all the injuries the Bills are dealing with, a healthy body is a healthy body.
INJURED RESERVE
DT TJ Sanders (Knee)
Sanders will miss his second consecutive game after aggravating a knee injury in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints. We have not gotten clarification on what side the injury is on, nor do we know what the original injury was. Looking back through training camp notes revealed that he had an undisclosed injury that briefly required an assessment from athletic trainers on July 28.
He also had a right ankle injury during the second preseason game against the Chicago Bears, but that doesn’t appear to be related. However, whatever the knee injury is, he is undergoing surgery to address the issue and will be placed on injured reserve.
The earliest he can return is Week 11 as the bye week does not count with regards to injured reserve. This will give him five weeks to rehab and recover. We need some additional information as to the exact issue because it’s not a given that he has something like a meniscus tear that requires a trim. Hopefully we get more info that can give us a clearer timeline.
S Damar Hamlin (Pectoral)
Hamlin was an unexpected addition to the injury report with a pectoral injury after appearing in only seven special teams snaps on Sunday.
He was downgraded on Friday to DNP and placed on injured reserve Saturday with reports confirming he suffered the injury in practice.
It’s worth highlighting that he wore a shoulder brace during the preseason on the right side, as seen below. Whether it’s the same side or injury, that part isn’t clear.
CB Maxwell Hairston (Right Knee LCL Sprain)/K Tyler Bass (Left Hip/Groin)/OL Tylan Grable (Concussion)
There is still not a clear timeline as to when any of these players are expected to return this season. Grable may be the healthiest of the bunch with his concussion, waiting for an opportunity to be activated.
We haven’t heard from Tyler Bass but if there’s still pain or issues kicking, they shouldn’t rush him out until he is symptom free.
Hairston does look great though as he works back from his right knee LCL sprain as seen below. He is still wearing a brace but I expect when they open his practice window, he won’t be wearing one as he practices.
This has taken much longer than I think anyone expected, myself included. But the team needs to make sure he’s fully healthy and confident in his knee as he has not had any major injuries prior. He also has not had any practice reps and Sean McDermott has stressed the importance of tempering expectations.
We did get an idea of when he could return based on the tweet below which could be Week 10 with his practice window opening after the Week 7 bye. Hopefully we get more info on the other side of the bye.
ATLANTA FALCONS INJURY REPORT
OUT
WR Darnell Mooney (Hamstring)
Mooney has been battling injuries all season, dating back to the opening of training camp, originally suffering a shoulder injury on the first day of training camp. This limited him all preseason and forced him to miss the first game of the season. He lingered on the injury report for the first three weeks until he was removed ahead of Week 4.
Regrettably, he suffered a hamstring strain during the third quarter in the Week 4 win over the Commanders, unable to return. Despite being termed “day-to-day”, he was unable to practice all week, ruled out for Week 6.
CB Clark Phillips III (Triceps/Illness)
Phillips was a new addition to the injury report this week with a triceps injury along with an illness added Friday. He was unable to practice all week and was ruled out.
DL LaCale London (Tricep)
London appeared on the injury report Friday due to a triceps injury, implying that he suffered the injury during practice. He was later ruled out on Saturday.
QUESTIONABLE
DB Billy Bowman Jr (Knee/Hamstring)
Bowman was added to the injury report on Friday due to a knee injury, logging a limited practice Friday. He later added a hamstring on Saturday. He was previously on the injury report in Week 1 and 2 with a shoulder injury though he did not miss any games. I don’t expect him to play as he was limited on Saturday as well.
CB Natrone Brooks (Concussion/Shoulder)
Brooks was injured on a kickoff in Week 4 against the Washington Commanders when he returned a kickoff up the middle. He was taken out from behind by a Commandes player, getting hit in the back of the head and landing hard on his left shoulder, not getting up after the play.
According to the report, he was diagnosed with a concussion and shoulder injury, with the concussion likely leaving him limited throughout the week. Fortunately, he got a full practice in on Saturday and despite the questionable designation, he needs to be cleared from the concussion.
ACTIVE
S Xavier Watts (Ankle)
Watts was a new addition to the injury report Friday with an ankle designation after not being on the report the previous day. He did get injured in Week 4 during the second half kickoff as the Falcons kicked to the Commanders. Looking at film, it’s not clear the exact injury though he did not leave the game.
WR KhaDarel Hodge (Groin)
Hodge suffered a groin strain at some point in Week 3 that was severe enough that he was forced to miss Week 4 as he recovered. Despite coming off the bye, he was still limited Thursday and Friday but got a full practice in on Saturday.
CB AJ Terrell (Hamstring)
Terrell returned to practice this week in full after he missed the last two games due to a hamstring strain suffered late in the first half of the Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
He states that he feels 100 percent and expects to play on Monday.
RB Nathan Carter (Hamstring)
Carter returned to practice this week after missing Week 4 with a hamstring strain suffered the week prior. The bye week off helped him immensely as he was able to get full practices in this week and has no designation heading into the game.
INJURED RESERVE
DL Ta’Quon Graham (Calf)
Graham suffered his calf strain late in the preseason and spent the first four games on injured reserve. His practice window was opened this week as he returned back to practice. He was officially ruled out but that also means he has not been activated yet.
BUFFALO BILLS PROJECTED INACTIVES
LB Matt Milano
OL Chase Lundt
WR Curtis Samuel
CB Brandon Codrington
DE Landon Jackson
Sign DT Jordan Phillips, S Jordan Poyer to active roster
ATLANTA FALCONS PROJECTED INACTIVES
WR Darnell Mooney
CB Clark Phillips III
OL Jack Nelson
DL LaCale London
DB Billy Bowman
Final Thoughts
This game could go several ways. It could go where the Bills come out hitting hard and fast to leave no doubt as to who the better team is after last week’s loss. They could start slow and continue the struggles from last week. The Falcons could also be still riding their high of beating the Commanders last week and punch the Bills a few times in the month. Or the Falcons could regress despite being at home, sluggish coming off the bye.
This game is certainly closer than the line shows and could very easily go either way. Hopefully the Bills manage to get the win and avoid further injury as they head into their bye week. They have plenty of players that need a break and roster decisions to make with DL Michael Hoecht and DL Larry Ogunjobi set to return from their suspensions.
I’m looking forward to a competitive game and to get to the bye without any major issues.
Top Photo Credit: Associated Press
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