That was the definition of a heavyweight fight on Sunday with the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots throwing haymakers left and right in an incredibly exciting game! The final result was 35-31 but both teams showed why they’re some of the best in the AFC this year.
If you watched the first half, the Patriots had the Bills on the ropes, just doing whatever they want as they raced to a 24-7 lead with Buffalo barely showing any fight. The second half saw the Bills come to life and storm back with a 28-7 scoring barrage to secure the win.
This Bills win prevented the Patriots from clinching the AFC East and kept the Bills in contention for the divisional crown. The Patriots can still clinch winning out but their path just got that much tougher.
Fortunately for the Bills, they managed to avoid major injury and secure the win without Christian Benford. Read below for all the injuries coming out of Sunday’s win.
In Game Injuries
K Matt Prater (Right Quad)
Prater was the surprise addition to the Monday press conference injury report with a right quad injury and that he would be week-to-week.
Looking at the video, there’s two possible plays where he could have injured the quad. The first and more likely play is below. He kicks off, appears to land normally, and then stays out of the play before going to the sideline, hopping at the very end on his left leg.
The second play is when the Patriots had a big return in the second half and Prater had to split to close off any potential angle for the returner to get to the end zone. I’m not certain this is the play due to his range on the last four kicks didn’t appear to change or have to adjust.
There isn’t a lot of research on quadriceps injuries specifically for football kickers. One study did show that the average time for a kicker to miss is 15 days with older kickers over 30 miss 21 days.
DT Jordan Phillips (Right Ankle)
Phillips exited with 8:01 left in the second quarter with a right ankle injury confirmed by the broadcast. The film doesn’t show well how he injured the ankle, but he is blocked to his right side and then began hopping on his left ankle. My initial thought was that he suffered a low ankle sprain by rolling the ankle.
He was initially questionable to return but didn’t finish the game. Following the game, he was seen wearing a boot on the right ankle. Considering the injury and the flight home, this is a precautionary measure.
This injury requires more information before forecasting what could be going on. It’s possible that this was a low ankle that he got taped up and tested out, realizing he couldn’t return.
It’s also possible that another angle or more information gives clues as to the extent of the injury.
Update: Phillips will miss this week with the right ankle injury with the exact injury not quite clear.
Looking at an alternative angle, it almost looks as though he injured the right ankle after his first step. He pushes off the left, lands on the right leg and then pulls up on the right side. I’m not sure what he did. It’s significant enough that he’s ruled out for next Sunday.
QB Josh Allen (Thigh/Foot)
Allen was slow to get up after the first play of the fourth quarter after a scramble to the left side. He appeared to get hit in the thigh or had the arch of his left foot stepped on as he slid and walked it off briefly without any further medical attention.
This was likely more hurt than injured but we’ve seen Allen play through much worse.
DE Joey Bosa (Undisclosed)
Bosa briefly left the game late in the third quarter and it wasn’t even noticed until he came out of the medical tent.
He returned midway through the fourth quarter with 6:43 left due to the game play and continued on. Looking at the game film, there are several instances where he falls but the camera cuts away to see if he was slow to get up or grabbing at any area.
He was coming off the left hamstring strain in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and he has been working through his left wrist injury. Monday’s press conference may reveal if there any concerns.
C Connor McGovern (Left Elbow)
McGovern was briefly seen entering and exit the medical tent for a possible tape job on his brace he has been wearing since getting the elbow hit in Week 13.
WR Brandin Cooks (Undisclosed)
Cooks was spotted going into the x-ray room following the game for further imaging for an undisclosed injury. Nothing appeared noteworthy during the game but he was held to no catches on three targets.
Cooks appeared in 25 plays on Sunday according to the All 22 footage and didn’t have much contact at all. There were two plays where he landed on each shoulder.
The first play was his first pass in the first quarter, landing out of bounds and landing on his left shoulder. However, he immediately pushed up from the ground using that arm and got ready for the next play. He also didn’t appear to have any new bracing, tape, or anything change uniform wise.
The second play was his last target of the day midway through the fourth quarter. He can’t quite haul in the pass and lands on his right side, bracing with his elbow first. However, he rolls over and pushes off that right arm immediately. He then stayed in for three more plays to finish the game.
It’s not clear if he injured either shoulder at this time. He could have also injured his foot or knee running which required imaging to make sure. As of Monday morning, there isn’t any clear update as to why he required an x-ray. The Monday afternoon press conference will possibly reveal any injury.
Final Thoughts
Despite being down Christian Benford today as he was working through a left toe injury, the Bills still managed to get the job done. They appeared to be playing the long game keeping Benford out so that he could be ready for the playoffs but based on past historical management of practice injuries, it was literally a 50/50 shot as to whether he would play. We saw last week how Dalton Kincaid aggravated his left knee from last year but still suited up and we saw the inverse this week.
This shows that they still take each injury case by case basis by not arbitrarily sitting players or pushing them to play through issues.
All the practice injuries and historical data were analyzed this weekend to better understand whether the practice injuries are an issue or not. Read below for more info.
The Bills are now 10-4, securing double digit wins for the seventh consecutive season as they look to wrap up the regular season over the last few weeks. They have the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets to close out the season.
We may also see rumblings of certain players begin to work towards return including Ed Oliver, Damar Hamlin, Mecole Hardman, and even Curtis Samuel.
Top Photo Credit: Buffalo Rumblings
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