For all the talk that Josh Allen was going to get killed today without Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, he sure stayed upright and clean as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 26-7 to move to 8-4 on the season. Most of the damage in the game was to Aaron Rodgers face and on the ground, courtesy of the Bills rushing attack, going for 249 yards and a touchdown with 144 of those yards coming from James Cook.
The Bills came out looking ugly in the first half not moving the ball and when they did, they turned it over in inopportune moments, allowing the Steelers to keep a lead going into halftime. Coming out of the half, the Bills flipped a switch after a monstrous Joey Bosa sack that caused an Aaron Rodgers fumble that led to a scoop and score by Christian Benford. The Bills then took their rushing attack and like your little brother in Madden, kept running the same play again and again, forcing the Steelers to stop them.
In addition to the victory that earned them the eighth win of the season, the Bills escaped relatively healthy after missing so many players for this week.
Read below on the latest injuries coming out of the Week 13 win and analysis.
In Game Injuries
C Connor McGovern (Left Elbow)
This injury was brought up by the sideline reporter, Tracy Wolfson, otherwise I don’t think this would have even been noticed. She reported that McGovern had his left elbow checked out on the sidelines and that he was in a lot of pain.
Looking at the video, he potentially gets his elbow hit in the pile up after the James Cook fumble in the second quarter. Towards the end of the clip, he gets up and is flexing out the elbow before going to the sidelines.
This may be a more hurt than injured situation, but should he show up on the injury report Wednesday, we know what’s going on. His left elbow also appeared to be more swollen than the right according to the post game locker pictures.
DE Joey Bosa (Left Hamstring)
The only true injury of the night was when Joey Bosa exited the game with a hamstring strain in the fourth quarter.
Looking at his last snaps, you can see how Bosa takes a step forward with his left leg, gets his trunk flexed forward while his knee is extended. He attempts to take another step before crumpling to the ground but was able to walk off under his own power.
He was seen in plenty of post game pictures walking around indicating that this may be more on the milder side. Bosa does have a history of hamstring strains with one causing him to miss four games his rookie year and one game in 2023.
What’s promising is that with the 2023 injury, he played several weeks with the strain before it got so bad that he was forced to sit for a week. Does this mean he could play through his injury? Probably yes.
Given his injury background, the Bills should hold him out for a week rather than letting him play and cause it to linger or worsen. Right now, I’ll be surprised if Bosa suits up against Cincinnati next week with the ideal outcome resting for at least one week.
Update: Sean McDermott says that his injury will be “we’ll see where it goes”. I interpret this as missing at least one week given his injury history.
S Cole Bishop (Left Hip/Thigh)
Bishop was hobbling to get up after this play in where RB Kenneth Gainwell was streaking down the left sideline before Bishop dove to knock him out of bounds.
Gainwell appears to kick Bishop in the left hip or thigh area before he went down. Bishop did not miss any snaps but was clearly hurting. This may be a more hurt than injured, but if we know why he’s on the report, this is why.
Other Observations
K Tyler Bass (Left Hip/Groin)
Bass underwent surgery last week after his pelvic/groin issues did not respond to treatment. His season is over. We may get additional details as to the exact procedure he required.
DT Ed Oliver (Left Biceps Tear)
S Taylor Rapp (Right Knee Surgery)
DE Landon Jackson (Right MCL/PCL Sprain)
Final Thoughts
A win is a win. The way the Steelers played that game, Bills fans would have rioted in the streets had they lost to Pittsburgh. This win was far from pretty, especially in the first half, but the Bills came together to find their groove and secure another win.
The Bills have to turn right around and begin to game plan for the Cincinnati Bengals and the early return of Joe Burrow coming off his turf toe surgery incredibly early. He is still not 100 percent but the Bills have to take the same approach they did in the second half and put it to the Bengals.
The team should also be more healthier by then with potential returns from Dalton Kincaid, Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, and several more. Make sure to check back for the latest injury updates coming out of One Bills Drive.
Top Photo Credit: NFL.com
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