Whooo boy, WHAT A GAME!! The Buffalo Bills defeated the Houston Texans in a wild Week 1 game that ended in a 36-31 victory for the Bills. The exclamation point was when LB Greg Rousseau stripped Texans QB CJ Stroud which resulted in a fumble recovery for LB Terrel Bernard. This sealed a wild game that saw multiple lead changes and explosive plays that kept everyone on the edge of their seats.
Fortunately, there were no major injuries but there were several instances where players were nicked up and required further assessment.
Read below about all the injuries coming out of Week 1 and any concerns moving forward.
In Game Injuries
S Cole Bishop (Left Knee)
Bishop was the first injury of the season when he went down with a left knee injury with 3:33 left in the second quarter. It was difficult to see exactly what Bishop injured as he disappeared into the pile.
Team doctors assessed what looked to be his left knee before he was able to walk off under his own power.
He stayed on the sidelines for the last few minutes of the first half before returning to start the second half, finishing the game. Once we get a better angle such as All-22, we may have a better sense of the injury.
LB Terrel Bernard (Left Foot/Ankle)
Bernard stayed down for several moments after he appeared to lose his footing down near the goal line with 8:42 in the third quarter.
When he came up, he sat grabbing his toes before the medical team came out to assess the foot/ankle area. Fortunately, he was able to get up and jog off under his own power before returning on the next defensive series. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s going to be on the injury report and if so, what the designation is.
It’s also worth noting that this injury was to his left ankle. He had surgery on his right ankle this offseason which means he avoided further issues to the surgically repaired ankle.
WR DJ Moore (Right Leg)
Quite possibly the most notable injury of the day was when DJ Moore appeared to get rolled up during the James Cook fumble with 3:36 left in the fourth quarter.
It initially appeared as though Moore had his left leg hyperextended when another player fell on the leg. But when he got up, he hopped off on his left leg and having difficulty putting weight through his right leg. Looking at the video again, he appeared to hyperflex his right knee or he rolled his right ankle as he fell.
The injury appeared to be minor enough because he returned nearly two minutes later to finish the game on the play when Joshua Palmer scored the winning touchdown. We need to get more information on what exactly injured but it’s promising that he was at least able to return and was in good spirits.
QB Josh Allen (Right Fingers)
Allen clipped his right fingers on a pass with 5:50 left in the fourth quarter when DE Danielle Hunter got his hand up at the end of Allen’s throw. He came up shaking his hand out but never required medical attention. This appears to be a more hurt than injured situation.
We’ve seen multiple times where Josh finishes the game or downplays the injury and then we hear about it more later on. I don’t expect him to miss any time but if he shows up on the injury report on the short week, this would explain it.
Other Observations
RB Ty Johnson (Right Hamstring)
I incorrectly guessed that Johnson would suit up after practicing on Friday after having a month off following his August 8 injury. The Bills rightfully slowplayed this injury so he doesn’t ramp up too quickly but what’s promising is that any Bills players that were questionable and later ruled oht for a regular week, on the following short week, 86 percent of those players played on the short week. This is a small sample size of 7 players since 2016, but the only player that missed both weeks was Cardale Jones in 2016. There were several more instances where a player was ruled out and played the following week, but we’re dealing with limited instances.
I like Johnson’s chances to play on Thursday after missing Sunday.
Final Thoughts
This was an incredibly stressful game to kick off the season, but this was expected against two AFC contenders. The Bills still had plenty of sloppy football with regards to penalties and several plays that could have resulted in disaster. But the Bills secured a victory and moved to 1-0 as they prepare to take on the Detroit Lions in their home opener.
For a sneak peek on the Detroit Lions injury situation, go check out Dr. Jimmy Liao’s injury analysis here at his Substack.
He does a wonderful job and gives you the detail that you expect from reading my content.
Make sure to check back often on all the latest Bills injuries and news here at Banged Up Bills.
Top Photo Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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