The Buffalo Bills moved to 6-2 with a nail biting 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night. They have now defeated the Chiefs in the regular season the last five seasons but have not found that same magic in the playoffs.
Despite the Bills not figuring out their playoff demons, these head to head matchups in the regular season do matter for playoff seeds. The constant battle for the number one seed remains elusive to the Bills as a bye week and home field advantage could prove to be the difference whether they can advance to the Super Bowl.
One obstacle that may make things more difficult is injuries. They are the one great equalizer in the NFL which means having health and luck on your side can be the difference in playing on the final week of the season.
Read below for all the injuries coming out of the Week 9 win over the Chiefs.
In-Game Injuries
Check back after Monday’s press conference for the latest updates.
DL Michael Hoecht (Right Achilles Tear)
Hoecht suffered a right Achilles tear early in the fourth quarter as seen below.
He had the classic mechanism for an Achilles by getting his body weight way over his foot and pushing off, rupturing the tendon. He was quickly ruled out and done for the night.
Following the game, head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that Hoecht did tear the Achilles tendon and he would be done for the season.
To read more about his injury, click below.
S Cole Bishop (Right Shoulder)
Bishop had one of his best games as a pro on Sunday, making key tackles, breaking up passes, and overall showing why the Bills drafted him in the second round for their future.
He made a key hit on Chiefs TE Travis Kelce that prevented him from securing a touchdown and sending him to get checked for a concussion right before the half.
He left to the locker room before the final whistle of the first half suggesting he may have gotten checked out. Whether this was a hard hit to the shoulder or a stinger, it appeared to be temporary as he returned to the field for the first defensive series for the second half. This is one we may need more information on including if he shows up on the injury report Wednesday.
RB James Cook (Right Ankle/Foot)
Cook appeared to injure his right ankle/foot area with 10:53 left in the first quarter on a play that resulted in a tackle from CB Nohl Williams.
It looked as though Cook’s foot/ankle area was sat on, though it’s difficult to see whether this was a possibility for a high-ankle sprain. Cook knew something was up and went off to the athletic trainers at the very end of the clip.
Tracy Wolfson, the CBS sideline reporter noted that Cook’s right foot needed taped up several times early in the first half.
Despite the injury, it did not appear to affect him as he still ran for 114 yards on 27 carries. Having a better angle on how the ankle/foot was injured could shed light as to whether this will be a lingering issue or more of a hurt and he’s fine type of deal.
S Jordan Poyer (Undisclosed)
Poyer briefly entered the blue medical tent early in the fourth quarter for unknown reasons and then quickly exited.
He was in and out in two minutes based on the time stamps.
Looking at the film during the series that led to a Chiefs touchdown with 11:32 left in the fourth quarter didn’t reveal anything notable. This could be nothing, but we need more information for this event.
Other Observations
CB Taron Johnson (Groin)
Sean McDermott stated that he didn’t have a timeline for Johnson coming off his Friday injury but confirmed that there was no shot that he would play Sunday.
He looked alright walking into the locker room prior to the game but that alone doesn’t tell much. Considering when the injury happened, I wouldn’t expect Johnson to suit up in Week 10 either to allow him to get healthy.
CB Maxwell Hairston (Right Knee)
Watching Hairston keep step for step with Xavier Worthy shows how healthy he is getting and why the Bills activated him last week to get his reps in.
Final Thoughts
This was a fantastic win but it didn’t come without a cost. The NFL trade deadline is on November 4 and I hope that Brandon Beane is busy, offering trades and assets wherever he can. I don’t want him to sell the farm, but maybe a few fields in order to get some reinforcements due to all the recent injuries.
The Bills have an easier opponent in the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 but they won’t be an easy out either. It will be a busy week as they look to regroup for the second half of the season.
Top Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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