The Buffalo Bills take on the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football in Week 12 in a must-win game for each team. For Buffalo, this win would move them to 8-3 and allow them to continue fighting for both the AFC East and high playoff seed. For Houston, this would allow them to stay in the thick of the Wild Card race and have a tiebreaker over the Bills which will matter for playoff seeding.
Both teams have lengthy injury reports coming into the game on a short week which means everyone needs treatment and as much rest as possible. This will be the longest road trip for Buffalo this season and with a mini bye on the back end of this game, this could be the opportunity to get some much needed rest as they prepare for the final stretch before the playoffs.
Read below for a full analysis of each teams injury reports and projected inactives.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
OUT
TE Dalton Kincaid (Right Hamstring)
Kincaid will miss his second consecutive game due to a right hamstring strain suffered midway through the third quarter loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 10. This appears to be a moderate strain as he is missing multiple games but was not placed on injured reserve.
With this mini bye, Kincaid has a chance to play in Week 13, but that will be better determined when he begins to practice. On average, Bills players miss one game due to hamstring injuries since 2017 and since this was a short week, it’s not surprising he missed this game.
I’d say that he has a 50/50 shot to play in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers but a much greater chance in Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
WR Curtis Samuel (Elbow/Neck)
Samuel is dealing with yet another injury, this time to his elbow and neck. He has been on the injury report with a neck designation prior to Week 6. Below are several instances where Samuel could have injured his neck and elbow.
He did not receive an injury designation in the game but was unable to practice on the short week. Based on the way he was whipped around, it would not surprise me if he has some sort of whiplash injury with painful range of motion during neck motions. This can be managed through a variety of interventions, but the chance to aggravate the area is high while the body is healing.
The neck injury appears to be more of an issue and it would not surprise me if this neck issue lingers into next week.
WR Mecole Hardman (Left Calf)
Hardman will miss Week 12 after tweaking his calf on the punt return fumble in the third quarter of Sunday’s win. He initially appeared to injure his ankle but he strained his calf, likely trying to accelerate forward and overworking the muscle.
He was unable to practice all week and was ruled out on Wednesday morning. It remains to be seen how long he will be out with Week 13 uncertain at this point.
QUESTIONABLE
DT Phidarian Mathis (Left Shoulder)
Mathis missed last week’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after suffering a shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins. It’s not clear the exact injury he is working through as the injury. However, we saw in practice Tuesday that this is a left shoulder injury as evident by the tape and bracing on the area suggesting a rotator cuff or AC joint sprain.
Going back to look at the film, he appeared to land hard on his left shoulder in the play below further suggesting the AC joint sprain or rotator cuff strain.
He was able to get a limited practice in on Tuesday and Wednesday but I’m not anticipating that he is ready to play on the short week.
ACTIVE
CB Christian Benford (Groin)
Benford was able to play last week after missing Week 10 against the Dolphins with a groin injury suffered in practice. He had one of his best games of the season playing against the Buccaneers indicating that the groin may still be sore but he can work through it.
LB Terrel Bernard (Right Ankle)
Bernard still is working through his right ankle injury sustained in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. He has struggled all season with these injuries as he highlighted in a brief interview from Sunday’s win.
The ankle isn’t helping things with the inability to explode off that side, but these issues were there at the beginning of the season as early as the Baltimore Ravens. He did have a hamstring strain in the preseason that caused him to miss time but there is something that is likely more lingering that we may not hear about until after the season. Additionally, he may need his ankle repaired due to all the frequent sprains to the area.
DE Joey Bosa (Left Wrist)
Bosa still requires regular treatment to his left wrist injury that dates back to Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers. He wasn’t on the injury report the following week until after he played the Kansas City Chiefs. He was forced to wear a Q-tip tape job on his wrist playing against the Miami Dolphins before ditching that to wear a brace on the area as seen below.
I’m not sure the exact injury he is working through as his injuries appeared to be direct shots to the wrist, but he continues to play at a high level and otherwise stay healthy.
CB Taron Johnson (Groin)
Johnson was able to return to play this week after suffering a setback during practice last Thursday that led him to be questionable heading into Week 11. He is still rusty according to Cover 1 but he may also be a step slower in general as he gets older and the injuries continue to pile on.
LB Dorian Williams (Groin)
Williams has been working through a groin injury dating back to Week 10 when he popped up on the injury report after the game. He has been featured mainly on special teams but has seen a fair share of defensive snaps in certain packages now that both Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard are starting.
WR Joshua Palmer (Left Knee/Ankle)
Palmer was able to return to play last week after sitting out three games due to a left knee and ankle injury in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons. He appears to continue to improve as he is not wearing a sleeve on his left leg or have any noticeable tape on the ankle.
Hopefully the Bills can get him more involved in the passing game as they wanted to prior to his injury.
DT Jordan Phillips (Right Wrist)
Phillips has been on the injury report for his right wrist injury dating back to Week 8 when he showed up on the injury report the following week. He has been able to practice in full and play in every game, but there may be some soreness or outright pain as this was the wrist he dislocated in late 2023 and had to go to the hospital to have it reduced and surgically repaired.
C Connor McGovern (Right Ankle)
McGovern was a surprise addition to the injury report on Monday with an ankle designation. Looking back at the film, he had his right ankle clipped in the fourth quarter and fell down as seen in the video below.
He did not miss a snap and continued on but important to note that this was more likely from the game than another practice injury.
LB Shaq Thompson (Hamstring)
Thompson was able to practice in full all week after getting several full practices last week as he works back from a hamstring injury suffered ahead of Week 9, missing three games. He has no designation and is ready to return.
WR Khalil Shakir (Personal- Birth)
Shakir was unable to practice all week while he celebrated the birth of his daughter on Monday. Congratulations to the Shakir family!
HOUSTON TEXANS INJURY REPORT
OUT
S Jalen Pitre (Concussion)
Pitre is set to miss his third consecutive game after he was ruled out on Tuesday according to head coach DeMarco Ryans. He had been ramping up this week with a limited practice on Tuesday and practicing without a no-contact jersey, but it wasn’t enough to be ready to go on the short week.
QB C.J. Stroud (Concussion)
Stroud will miss his third consecutive game after suffering a concussion while trying to slide on the play below.
He has been unable to practice since then and as of Monday, he was still having sensitivity to light and headaches indicating he has not even returned to baseline yet. This is his second NFL concussion and each is unique in their progression of healing. As a result of Stroud being out, Davis Mills will get the start.
LB Jamal Hill (Hamstring)
Hill was forced to leave sometime in the first half of the Week 11 game against the Tennessee Titans and did not return. He was unable to practice all week and ruled out Wednesday.
ACTIVE
LB Azeez Al-Shaair (Knee/Illness)
Al-Shaair has been dealing with a knee ailment since appearing on the injury report prior to Week 11. He has been playing in 100 percent of snaps the last few weeks which means whatever this issue is potentially more of a maintenance issue.
DE Will Anderson (Ankle)
Anderson popped up on the injury report with an ankle designation this week after playing in 37 snaps on defense. This is slightly less than his normal amount
DE Denico Autry (Knee)
Autry has been battling a knee injury dating back to at least Week 5 when he first appeared on the injury report. This came after he missed the first five games of the season after beginning the season on the PUP list as he worked back from an offseason knee injury.
This is likely related to the knee injury that he played through during the 2024 season and is potentially more related to his age as he is in his 12th NFL season.
OT Trent Brown (Hand/Knee)
Brown has played the last two weeks at 100 percent of snaps and appears on the injury report this week due to a hand issue. There isn’t a lot of information
about that injury but he is still also working back from a right patellar tendon tear when he was with the Cincinnati Bengals in September 2024.
This type of injury is a very slow recovery and it’s not surprising to see he is still recovering from the injury
WR Nico Collins (Ankle)
Collins was a new addition to the injury report this week due to an ankle designation that appeared to be minor due to practicing in full on Thursday and Friday. The Bills will need to allocate additional resources to Collins to prevent him from burning them like he did last year.
OL Tytus Howard (Ankle/Knee)
Howard was forced to briefly exit Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans with what was originally described as a knee injury but is now a knee/ankle designation.
TE Dalton Schultz (Shoulder)
Schultz has been battling a shoulder injury since appearing on the injury report dating back to Week 7. This is a lingering issue that has not affected his snap counts and he has not missed any games.
WR Braxton Berrios (Quad)
Berrios missed last week after picking up a quad injury early in Week 10. Fortunately he was able to practice in full all week and has no designation.
CB Myles Bryant (Ankle)
Bryant was a recent signing to the active roster after exhausting his practice squad elevations earlier this season. He was able to practice in full all week.
QB Davis Mills (Left Elbow)
Mills was an addition to the injury report prior to Week 11 with a left elbow designation. Fortunately he is a right handed thrower and this injury should not affect his ability to pass but may impact his ball security.
K Ka’imi Fairbaim (Right Quad)
Fairbaim has missed the last two games after he suffered a right quadriceps injury in the Week 9 loss to the Denver Broncos. This is important to note that this is his kicking leg which means that despite him being active, he may still have some reduced range and could aggravate the injury on kickoffs.
LB Jake Hansen (Elbow)
Hansen has been on the injury report for the last two weeks due to an elbow injury. He is exclusively a special teams player and saw his normal snap counts while battling this injury. He was able to practice in full this week.
G Ed Ingram (Knee)
Ingram has missed the last two weeks after suffering a knee injury in the second quarter of the Week 9 contest against the Denver Broncos. While Ingram has been out, Juice Scruggs has filled in for him. He was able to return to practice in full this week.
TE Cade Stover (Foot)
Stover continues to work back from a broken foot sustained in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He was activated last week, did not see any targets and saw 20 total snaps, 14 on offense and six on special teams.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
TE Dalton Kincaid
OL Chase Lundt
DT Phidarian Mathis
WR Curtis Samuel
WR Mecole Hardman
WR Keon Coleman
CB Ja’Marcus Ingram
Call Up: WR Gabe Davis, CB Brandon Codrington
Houston Texans Projected Inactives
S Jalen Pitre
QB CJ Stroud
LB Jamal Hill
OT Jarrett Kingston
RB Dameon Pierce
Final Thoughts
The Bills are currently a -6 favorite heading into the game and with the Texans being without CJ Stroud, it certainly seems appropriate. The Texans defense is still not one to look past and can slow Josh Allen down like they did last year.
Despite the differences in quarterbacks, this is still a very winnable game for each team. Davis Mills is no slouch and if Houston’s defense can force key turnovers and hammer the run game, they can drag Buffalo into the deep water and force them to fight.
However, Buffalo has the ability to take over this game early and put it away with opening up the passing and rushing attacks keeping the Houston defense guessing. If the Bills come out playing like they did against Miami or New England, it’ll be a rough day. If they come out like they did against Tampa Bay, they could move to 8-3.
I’m looking forward to a good game and no injuries.
Top Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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