The Buffalo Bills take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 with both teams already having locked up a playoff spot but with seeding needing to be sorted out. Both are incredibly talented teams that need this game to get their best seeding possible in order to make a deep playoff run.
The Bills could still win the AFC East and get the number one seed with a lot of help while the Eagles could improve their positioning to the number two seed with a win and some help as well. The Eagles are defending Super Bowl champions while the Bills have the opportunity to go on a run with many of their demons including the Chiefs not in the playoff field.
Both teams have much to play for yet have every incentive to rest key players for the playoffs. Each team has numerous injuries that will affect the outcome of the game.
Read below for the full injury analysis of each team and projected inactives.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
OUT
K Matt Prater (Right Quad)
Prater will miss his second consecutive game dealing with a right quadriceps injury suffered against the New England Patriots in Week 15.
DT Jordan Phillips (Right Ankle)
Phillips will miss his second consecutive game after suffering a right ankle injury in the second quarter against the New England Patriots in Week 15. It’s not clear what the exact injury mechanism was but now that he has missed two weeks, this could potentially be a high-ankle sprain. Considering the opponent next week in the Jets, I’m not certain he plays then either.
S Jordan Poyer (Left Hamstring)
Poyer was ruled out Friday morning before practice after being unable to practice all week. He suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter closing in on a sack.
Considering that it’s a hamstring, his age, and positional demands, it was nearly a foregone conclusion that he would. It’s and it’s realistic to expect that he will miss next week too.
DT DaQuan Jones (Left Calf)
Jones suffered a setback during Sunday’s game late in the third quarter and spent a notable amount of time in the injury tent afterward.
The team confirmed that this was the same injury from Week 6 when he injured it in pregame warmups.
He was ruled out on Friday and I’m not expecting him to play next week either.
QUESTIONABLE
TE Dawson Knox (Knee)
Knox was a new addition to the injury report with a knee designation and unable to practice Tuesday and Wednesday. He got a limited practice on Friday but he is officially questionable.
Not a lot is known about his injury, but there were two instances in the game where he could have injured his left knee. The first play was when the Bills needed to challenge for the first down and got it. Knox landed on his left knee with a bent knee and came up in the huddle working out his left knee briefly and limping a little bit.
The next play was the QB sneak and Knox fell over the pile and looked to do something to the left knee, coming up and hopping on the right knee briefly.
The initial thought was that Knox suffered a PCL sprain but the fact that he didn’t leave the game and was able to practice this week doesn’t suggest this is it. He does get his foot planted in the ground that he falls on the pile, there is a possibility of an MCL sprain or mild hyperextension. There isn’t much I can gather from Friday’s practice as he’s wearing pants, preventing the ability to see whether he’s wearing a brace on either knee.
I don’t have a great feeling about Knox playing Sunday due to the acuity of the injury and knowing that Kincaid is also questionable.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid is officially questionable heading into Sunday’s game after he didn’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday before getting a limited practice in on Friday. He did suffer a small setback but considering he is still in injury management mode, I’d expect the team gets him ready to go and then potentially rest him next week.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Right Foot)
The biggest injury on the injury report, Josh Allen’s right foot injury. The play below shows how he hurt the foot trying to scramble away from Myles Garrett late in the second quarter. He finished out the series and limped to the bench for further assessment before going to the locker room for an assessment and x-rays.
He was able to finish the game and all week long, Allen has been downplaying the injury. He was limping around the facility on Tuesday with a normal shoe according to reports.
We then saw him wearing normal cleats and throwing which doesn’t tell us much.
Most of the swelling has decreased according to the team.
It’s possible that he is dealing with a midfoot sprain but not a Lisfranc sprain. If this was a Lisfranc, Allen would not be able to return in the game. As seen with Lane Johnson above, Allen would not have been cleared to play this week. Allen could have injured the outside portion of his foot in the middle as seen below. This isn’t an ankle as this would have been designated as such. I also don’t believe he suffered a Jones fracture as that would have been picked up on x-ray. He could have also injured the cuboid bone or the ligaments that attach to that. The cuboid is the big bone on the outside where the tarsometatarsal ligament connects.
We don’t know the extent of the injury but I can guarantee you that his foot injury is more significant than they are letting on. The team has educated on him the risks playing through that injury and further concerns. Allen, the medical staff, his agent, and team have signed off on this.
Playing through this, he will be less mobile. I don’t expect to see really any designed runs. His deep balls will lack some distance due to not being able to push the ball as far. I also expect him to be more affected during the second half of the game. If he can be a game manager during this game, then that’s all the Bills need. He could injure this foot further and that is a significant risk.
He played through a similar injury in 2021 to his left foot during the Tampa Bay game. His stats were alright though we didn’t see him rush much the next game. He still put the Superman cape on and went for three touchdowns next game but this was an injury that lingered despite his production.
I would expect that he plays this week, starts next week but sit most of the game in Week 18 so that he can rest for the playoffs.
Should Allen play? Probably not.
Will he? Absolutely.
Because he’s Josh Allen.
S Cole Bishop (Ribs)
Bishop was a new addition to the injury report with a rib designation but logged full practices all week. He was able to play in 98.5 percent of snaps last week suggesting this may be more bruising which will require extra padding and possible injection.
DE Joey Bosa (Left Hamstring)
After being removed last week from the injury report, Bosa is back on with his left hamstring injury originally suffered in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He missed Week 14 against the Cincinnati Bengals but returned to play the following week.
RB Ray Davis (Knee)
Davis was a surprise addition to the injury report with a knee designation but able to practice in full all week. He played in 8 offensive snaps and 10 special teams snaps last week.
CB Taron Johnson (Quad)
Johnson is still battling through a quad injury that saw him return to the injury report last week. He was able to practice in full all week and this may be an aggravation of the injury from when he was originally on the report ahead of Week 2.
CB Cam Lewis (Left Hamstring)
Lewis continues to work through the left hamstring injury that he picked up in practice last week. He was questionable heading into the game and ended up playing mostly special teams but saw nine snaps on defense. With the absence of Jordan Poyer, I’d expect that he seems the majority of snaps at safety.
LB Shaq Thompson (Neck)
After exiting midway through the first quarter last week after a helmet-to-helmet hit, he was initially questionable to return before never re-entering the game. This may have been a stinger where the neck complaints were lingering and with the return of Terrel Bernard last week, they elected to hold him out as a precaution.
We will see how much work he gets in this week but he has no designation.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT
OUT
OT Lane Johnson (Right Foot)
Johnson will miss his sixth consecutive game as he works through a Lisfranc sprain in his right foot. He originally suffered this injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 1, exiting in the first quarter.
The injury was expected to take between 4-6 weeks which is why the team elected not to put him on injured reserve in the hopes he could return. He is still not ready and may not be until the playoffs.
DT Nakobe Dean (Left Hamstring)
Dean suffered a left hamstring injury with 6:52 left in the first quarter while trying to break up a play. His left foot got caught in the turf as he hit the Commanders player and as his body rotated and bent forward.
He was unable to return and was later spotted limping in the tunnel and then with a sleeve on his left leg during practice.
The team states that the injury is minor and that he is further along than they expected. However, he is still iffy for Sunday’s game.
If this was the playoffs, I could see Dean trying to go. But this is Week 17 and the Eagles have less to play for than the Bills. I don’t see how a player that relies on sudden bursts forward, lateral movement, and sprinting will be effective on a fresh hamstring strain without aggravating it.
ACTIVE
DT Jalen Carter (Shoulders)
Carter is set to return after missing the last three games due to shoulder procedures on both sides recently. He had said that he underwent several shots in each shoulder and is feeling much better than previously.
He likely underwent a series of PRP injections to address potential rotator cuff issues such as partial tears. The last three weeks off was to allow the injections to take effect and allow for healing to the area and allow for rehab and strengthening to regain function.
It’s possible he had other issues such as sub-acromial bursitis or a labrum tear, both common pathologies, but PRP wasn’t studied as extensively with those issues. This is not a procedure I am seeing clinically within my patient population, but the idea of the PRP injections is to allow the tissue to heal naturally and avoid/delay surgery to regain function in the affected area. Carter may be needing surgery in the offseason but if he can get one healthy enough to avoid surgery, this can then help rehab later.
Despite this procedure, Carter still isn’t 100 percent, he still would be lacking strength especially as the leverage gets away from his body. The more his arms can be extended away from his body or he needs to create more leverage to win his battles, that’s where he will struggle the most. If the Bills can gameplan to extend him by making him swim or force his arms up high, preventing him from pushing inside and keeping his arms close to him, then they can keep him in check.
TE Cam Latu (Stinger)
Latu missed last week’s game due to what the team is calling a stinger secondary to a neck injury. He was questionable heading into Week 16 before he was later ruled out. He has been exclusively a special teams player with occasional snaps on offense. He has yet to receive a passing target which means he has been a blocking tight end.
OL Landon Dickerson (Illness)
Dickerson was unable to practice all week until Friday as he dealt with an illness.
WR AJ Brown (Wisdom Teeth)
Brown missed Wednesday’s practice due to getting his wisdom teeth removed. This may have been an issue that suddenly arose that required immediate surgery for removal.
Typically this procedure would prevent many people from participating in athletic activities, but this is the NFL. Pain medication and ensuring the sockets are healing will be the primary focus for Brown. He carries no designation and will play Sunday.
LB Zach Baun (Hand)
Baun has been battling a hand injury since suffering the original injury in Week 13. He was limited the first week of the injury but since then has practiced in full every week and carries no designation.
LB Jihaad Campbell (Back/Ankle)
Campbell was added to the injury report this week with back and ankle designation but able to practice in full all week without a gameday designation.
OT Fred Johnson (Calf)
Johnson was a new addition to the injury report with a calf designation but able to practice in full all week.
WR DeVonta Smith (Illness)
Smith was on the injury report this week with an illness designation but able to practice in full all week.
INJURED RESERVE
OT Cameron Williams (Shoulder)
Williams has been on injured reserve since the beginning of the season, placed there ahead of Week 2. Not much is known regarding his injury, but the team needs to make their decision soon with his 21-day window closing shortly after Sunday.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
DT Jordan Phillips
K Matt Prater
OT Tylan Grable
S Jordan Poyer
WR Keon Coleman
DT DaQuan Jones
TE Dawson Knox
Call Up: K Michael Badgley
Philadelphia Eagles Projected Inactives
LB Nakobe Dean
OT Lane Johnson
QB Sam Howell
RB AJ Dillon
CB Mac McWilliams
Final Thoughts
This is the one team that Josh Allen and Sean McDermott have not beaten yet. While this victory wouldn’t change much other than their record, it would be symbolic in showing how dominating this team has been during the regular season since 2018 but has not been able to finish the job in the playoffs.
Last time these teams met, it was a heavyweight fight in 2023 that the Bills lost in overtime. This has the potential for this again but will confirm how talented each team is and what they can do once they are in the playoffs.
Both teams have immense flaws but could make runs under the right opportunities. Sunday’s game could be a preview of what each team could accomplish.
I’m looking for another good game and no new injuries.
Top Photo Credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
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