The Buffalo Bills open Highmark Stadium with a solid 29 to 14 win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. All of the Bills starters that were healthy did play at least a portion of the game and we got to see some exciting plays, including the first interception, sack, and points in the new stadium.
We did see a number of different players who have been injured over the past week either suit up or were getting work in off to the side before the game. This indicates that they are progressing with their injuries, but not quite ready to fully participate.
Today’s article will break down all the endgame injuries along with analysis and observations from the sidelines coming out of today’s win.
In Game Injuries
WR DJ Moore (Right Ankle)
Moore hauled in a catch down the left sideline before he was tackled out of bounds with 5:55 left in the first quarter. As he was tackled down, he appeared to catch his right ankle either in the grass or had the defender fall on him as he was twisted down to the ground.
He rolled over grabbing his ankle before training staff came to assess him. He was able to walk off under his own power and sit on the bench where head athletic trainer Nate Breske assessed him further.
Moore didn’t appear to be limited while he walked about on the sidelines after he was done for the day. He also did not appear to have any additional tape or support devices later on during the game.
Head coach Joe Brady noted that Moore had said that he was doing well and that he would’ve been able to return had he needed to. Brady went on to say that that was the last series for the starters and that he was gonna be pulled out from the game anyway.
Based on the mechanism of injury, Moore may have suffered a low ankle sprain or simply had the ankle hit due to the defender falling on him. There was a potential for a high ankle sprain, but it appeared that the foot was able to squeeze out from underneath Moore before he got rotated down further.
This may be a wait-and-see along with what work Moore gets in next week during practice and if he suits up during the joint practice, but he appeared to avoid significant injury.
OL Alec Anderson (Right Leg)
Anderson briefly required attention from the training staff and missed one play late in the first quarter. This was the result of having several players run into him, hitting him in his leg and falling down.
This may have been more hurt than injured but Anderson only missed one play before he was able to return to the game.
WR Keon Coleman (Right Ankle/Foot)
Coleman may be the biggest injury concern of the day when after his last catch, he was tackled down and was slow to get up with 13:42 left in the second quarter. How he was taken down was rather non-descript and nothing appeared to be wrong.
After the game, Joe Brady noted that Coleman was okay which made it confusing to find what he was dealing with. Coleman later posted an IG story walking his dog and he had a boot on his right leg.
Looking back at the play above where he was taken down, he may have rolled his ankle, suffered a high-ankle sprain, or sprained his foot. The video available isn’t clear but this is one we need more information on. Had Brady not said anything, I’m not certain we know about his injury.
Injury Updates
C Connor McGovern (Right Hamstring)
Several beat reporters caught up with McGovern at his locker following the game and McGovern said that he was doing pretty good but that this is a multi week injury and that was to his right side.
S Cole Bishop (Lower Body)
After exiting the scrimmage last Saturday. Bishop was unable to practice all week, but was able to suit up on Saturday and take part in warm-ups, but did not see any game action.
During warmups, he did not have sleeves or bracing on his lower body area indicating this may be hip or groin issue. The fact that he was in full pads indicates that he is getting close to returning and that this was part of the process and ensuring that he is safe to return. Based on the updates that we saw, I expect to see him return to practice sooner than later.
CB Maxwell Hairston (Lower Body)
Hairston was also out with Bishop during pregame warm-ups fully suited up, but did not play in Saturday’s game. Based on some of the rehab work that Hairston was doing during the week and on Saturday is very possible he is dealing with a groin issue that he is working through. Just like Bishop, the fact that he was fully dressed indicates that he is close to returning and we should see him return to practice sometime next week.
WR Skyler Bell (Lower Body)
Head coach Joe Brady had noted that Bell was working through a lower body issue, but that if this had been a real game that he would’ve been able to play. This is consistent with what we saw the prior week when he was wearing sleeves on both legs as he was trying to work through potential soreness or a minor injury. This may be also a continuation of the left leg injury that we saw him deal with during mandatory mini camp when he was forced to exit early during that week.
CB Kani Walker (Lower Body)
After missing practice all week Walker was able to play in his first NFL game despite his previously undisclosed injury. He was also able to secure the first interception at Highmark Stadium, making for a memorable debut.
WR Joshua Palmer (Left Leg)
On Friday during an appearance on One Bills Live, Joshua Palmer went into detail about the left leg injury that cost him a significant portion of the 2025 season. He suffered a slightly torn hip labrum, MCL sprain, and high ankle sprain all on his left leg. I wrote an article detailing more of the injuries and how the impact the injury had last year and why he had such difficulty playing through all the injuries at once.
Final Thoughts
Outside of the DJ Moore scare and the Keon Coleman injury, the Bills came out of this game pretty good injury wise, especially playing in the starters for as long as they did. Injuries are part of football, but they are still far better than they were last year at this time in terms of the volume of injuries.
After a day off, the Bills will get back to practice before they head out to Cleveland to have joint practices with the Browns before they take them on a preseason game on Saturday.
Top Photo Credit: Bryan Bennett/Getty Images
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