One of the biggest regular-season games of the year is upon us as the 5-2 Buffalo Bills host the 5-3 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at 4:25 pm. These games have become must-watch since 2020, with an interesting dichotomy. The Bills always seem to find regular-season success against the Chiefs in the regular season, but can’t recreate it in the postseason, with the Chiefs knocking the Bills out four of the last five seasons.
Every season, personnel changes have affected how these teams play against each other, with injuries being a big factor. This year appears to be no different, with several injuries affecting both teams, which could have an impact on the final outcome.
Read below for a detailed analysis of each team’s injury report and projected inactives.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
OUT
DT DaQuan Jones (Left Calf)
Jones continued to miss practice following his left calf strain suffered in pregame warmups against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. He effectively has had three weeks off to heal from the injury, considering the bye, Week 8, and now Week 9. The fact that he was not placed on injured reserve before Week 8 indicated that they expected him back sooner, but not having Jones available this week will hurt, especially with the loss of Ed Oliver.
I had said last week that he had a chance to play if he practiced, but that didn’t come to pass. This is one of the more serious calf injuries, now up there with Tim Settle in the 2022 preseason, missing three weeks, and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger in the 2025 preseason, missing six weeks. Other severe calf injuries required IR placement, which suggests Jones should practice next week based on historical management of the calf injuries.
He was unable to practice all week and was ruled out Friday morning.
WR Joshua Palmer (Left Ankle/Left MCL)
Palmer was unable to practice on Wednesday as he continues to work back from a presumed left high-ankle sprain and left MCL sprain. Fortunately, he returned to practice on Thursday and was limited, but we didn’t see him do much, making it difficult to determine his true ability.
Looking at the ankle injury and knee injury, I suspect his knee is what’s giving him more problems if he has continued pain or instability with cutting to the right. His ankle will still be sore, but Bills players miss just over two games on average due to a high-ankle sprain.
The fact that he practiced this week was promising but another week to rehab will only help his chances to return to full health.
LB Shaq Thompson (Hamstring)
Thompson appeared to tweak his hamstring in practice this week on Wednesday, a big blow to what steady play with Milano and Bernard was dealing with their respective injuries. We’re not sure what side the hamstring strain is on, but we know from practice pictures and reports earlier this season, he was dealing with a right hamstring strain due to the presence of a sleeve on the right side as he had been wearing a sleeve on the left throughout training camp.
He was unable to practice Thursday and Friday before being ruled out.
QUESTIONABLE
CB Taron Johnson (Groin)
Johnson was a late addition to the injury report on Friday indicating he injured it in practice. There are no details as to what happened and we likely won’t get any. Occasionally, these injuries do happen simply because they are practicing the sport and doing football activities.
Looking back, excluding illness and veteran rest days, there are 11 instances where players who sustained an injury and were full, limited, or did not practice in the last practice before a game.
Only two who were questionable played and both did not practice that final day.
Based on that information, Taron Johnson would not suit up on Sunday. This would be a huge blow to the defense. The Bills have proven me wrong plenty of times by making decisions they’ve never done before, let’s hope this is another instance.
ACTIVE
RB Ray Davis (Illness)
Davis was unable to practice on Wednesday due to illness, but returned on Thursday and Friday in full.
LB Terrel Bernard (Right Ankle)
After being active but not playing in Week 8 due to being an emergency option, Bernard appears healthier and ready to go against the Chiefs’ offense in Week 9. There hasn’t been much video of him at practice this week, but he was able to practice in full all week and has no designation heading into the game.
His right ankle is still not 100 percent, but due to all the trauma over the last few years, it will continue to be a problem until he can’t play on it anymore. He will have it taped up, but with the bye and not playing last week, this will be enough time to allow the ankle to rehab and heal to play effectively.
LB Matt Milano (Right Pectoral)
Milano returned to practice in full this week after missing Weeks 6 and 8 due to an aggravation of his right pectoral injury in Week 5. The original injury dates back to Week 2 against the New York Jets, forcing him to miss Weeks 3 and 4.
He looks good moving around, and with the extra time off, the hope is that the muscle has healed further and is less likely to become injured again. I do not expect him to get rid of the shoulder harness that he has been wearing this season anytime soon.
At this point, the goal would be to make sure he stays healthy for the remainder of the season and playoffs. He should see more work this week, especially with the absence of Shaq Thompson, who is dealing with his own injury.
K Matt Prater (Right Calf)
Prater appeared to injure his right calf in practice on Wednesday and was limited all week as a result. This injury is notable due to the fact that this is his kicking leg. Depending on the injury, the demands of a position sometimes really affect the player but considering the calf muscle isn’t as engaged on the kicking side compared to the plant leg indicates that Prater may be able to suit up. The biggest issue we will see is the ability to run and work on the approach for kicking.
However, despite being limited all week, he has no designation heading into the game and will play Sunday.
Other Onservations/Notes
WR Gabriel Davis
Davis was activated to the practice squad this week and returned to practice since he signed with the Bills at the beginning of September.
He is still working back and has looked good in limited video, but he had some inflammation in his left knee and did not practice Friday. However, he could potentially be ready for a call-up as soon as Miami in Week 10.
To read more about his injury, click below.
DT TJ Sanders (Knee)/S Taylor Rapp (Knee Surgery)/S Damar Hamlin (Pectoral)
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS INJURY REPORT
OUT
OT Josh Simmons (Personal)
Simmons has been away from the team for the last several weeks due to a personal family matter that the team has been tight-lipped on. He will not play on Sunday.
RB Isiah Pacheco (Right Knee MCL Sprain)
Pacheco is set to miss the Week 9 contest due to a fourth-quarter knee injury with just under four minutes to play during Monday’s game. The video below shows how he is hit, and the right knee is awkwardly bent as he rolls over the defender before he hits the turf. Despite the look of the injury, Pacheco came away with only an MCL sprain that has him deemed week-to-week.
He initially appeared to injure more at the time of the hit but for the MCL sprain to be the only issue, he avoided a longer timeline. He has not played in the last two regular season games against Buffalo due to injury and will now miss his third consecutive game in the last three years.
QUESTIONABLE
G Trey Smith (Back)
Smith was doubtful last year heading into Monday Night Football with back spasms, per the team press conference on Wednesday.
After being listed as doubtful ahead of Monday’s contest, he ultimately did not suit up and was limited in practice this week until Friday and is officially questionable, though reports state that he will start Sunday. It may come down to how his back feels and if he has any further spasm events.
OT Jaylon Moore (Illness)
Moore missed practice on Friday due to illness and is questionable. I would expect that he suits up as most players who have an illness play.
ACTIVE
WR Hollywood Brown (Illness)
Brown missed Wednesday’s practice with an illness but returned to practice in full on Thursday and Friday with no designation.
LB Nick Bolton (Knee)
Bolton suffered a knee injury at some point during the game, but it was not recorded in the box score of the win over the Washington Commanders. The injury was significant enough to require an MRI, which found no structural damage. He practiced in full all week and has no designation heading into the game.
RB Brashard Smith (Toe)
Brashard has been on the injury report the last few weeks, with Illness being the reason in Week 7 and picking up a toe injury against the Raiders in Week 7. There are no reports as to what the toe injury is, but he was able to practice in full last week and this week. He should see some increase in carries with Pacheco out, and even more should Hunt be sidelined.
OT Jawaan Taylor (Knee/Shoulder)
Taylor has been on the injury report all season with a knee injury dating before Week 1 and picking up a shoulder injury in Week 1. His knee issue is chronic in that he had to have the joint scoped in the offseason and then went to Panama for stem cell injections, per an interview from the summer time. He had suffered a hit to the knee in Week 5, causing wear and tear to the patella and knee along with a partially torn meniscus, and needed to get the knee drained weekly to play.
There aren’t any additional details about his shoulder, but I have not found any additional details as to what he is really dealing with. He does not have a designation heading into the game.
DE Charles Omenihu (Ankle/Abdomen)
Omenihu has been on the injury report since Week 5 with a nagging ankle injury, but has not missed any games and has not seen a significant drop in his snaps during that time frame. Additionally, he picked up an abdominal injury against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. He did not miss any reps in practice ahead of Week 8 and this week with no game day designation.
RB Kareem Hunt (Ankle/Knee)
Hunt has been dealing with several injuries, with a calf injury ahead of Week 6 and suffering an ankle/knee injury in the win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7. He slowly worked his way up to full participation before Week 8 and has been able to practice in full this week. He will see the bulk of the carries due to Isiah Pacheco’s absence and could have a big night if the Bills’ run defense is as leaky as it has been in other games.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
DT DaQuan Jones
WR Joshua Palmer
LB Shaq Thompson
OL Chase Lundt
DE Landon Jackson
CB Taron Johnson
Call Up: LB Keonta Jenkins
Kansas City Chiefs Projected Inactives
RB Isiah Pacheco
OT Josh Simmons
CB Kristian Fulton
RB Elijah Mitchell
TE Jared Wiley
Final Thoughts
The Chiefs are currently favored -2 according to Caesars Sportsbook and a spread like that indicates the game should be incredibly close. The Bills have the players to win as underdogs especially at home with a strong running attack and if Josh Allen can get out of this funk and get the passing attack going. He tends to rise to the occasion in games like these which means this should be an entertaining game.
However, the Chiefs still have much of their team that made the Super Bowl last year and their core of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones have been a huge reason why they stay competitive every year. They are also the reason why they bounced back from a 2-3 start to win the last three. Every one of these Bills Chiefs games have been close but it comes down to turnovers and who makes the fewer mistakes on Sunday.
The Bills have owned the Chiefs in the regular season but the Chiefs have the last laugh every postseason. I believe every Bills fan would take a loss now if there was the guarantee that the Bills won the postseason meeting. But that would take all the fun and meaning out of the regular season matchup. The Bills have the ability to break through in the postseason, we’ve seen plenty of other teams go on runs, why not this year?
I expect a great game on Sunday, hope for no injuries, and plan to see both teams in the playoffs come January.
Top Photo Credit: Getty Images
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