The Bills are 5-1, but it was a slog to get there on Sunday, defeating the Las Vegas Raiders 33-30. It seemed as though anytime the Bills got any momentum, an ill-timed flag would wipe out any positive progress, forcing the Bills to settle for a punt or a field goal and letting the Raiders hang around. Despite the Bills winning by three points, the Bills were an onside kick away from losing that game.
Fortunately, the Bills secured the win and went 2-0 on their West Coast trip as they head into their bye. What’s especially sweet is that the Bills came out of the game relatively injury-free and have given several players extra time to rest lingering injuries in Ed Oliver and DJ Moore.
Read about all the injuries coming out of Sunday’s win and other observations.
In-Game Injuries
LB Bradley Chubb (Ribs)
Chubb quietly left the game with 13:19 left in the second quarter after he suffered a rib injury. He was initially questionable to return but eventually did with 4:24 left in the quarter. Unfortunately, every time after he tackled or blocked and went to the ground, he was rather slow to get up. This affected him going into the second half after TJ Parker started in his place for the first defensive series.
Looking at the plays, this was his last play below, but it’s not clear how he injured the ribs. I also looked at the first defensive series and didn’t see anything remarkable. This may be an instance where All-22 may show more details.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Ribs)
Kincaid came up touching his chest/stomach area after a deep pass to the left with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter, just several plays before Josh Allen improvised a pitch to Keon Coleman for the touchdown to go up 23-13. During the next Raiders offensive series, Kincaid was spotted in the medical tent before he went to the locker room with a ribs designation and was questionable to return.
Looking at the film prior, he did land on the same area several plays prior on a pass to the right as seen below. He also did take a jump ball down the left which could have aggravated issues as well.
Thankfully, he was able to return with 8:01 in the fourth quarter to finish out the game. He may have received a nerve block during this time after getting X-rays, which means that there is bruising but likely no fractures.
Considering he returned, I don’t expect him to miss time unless he somehow has additional complications when he gets back to Buffalo.
Other Observations
WR DJ Moore (Left Shoulder)/DT Ed Oliver (Left Knee)
Moore and Oliver both missed their second consecutive games as they worked through their respective injuries. Despite the frustrations with Moore missing two games this season after missing two previously through his career dating to 2018, the Bills made the smart choice to sit the older veteran to ensure that he is healthy for the second half of the season. He will have had nearly four weeks off from when he exited in Week 4 which is ample time for his shoulder to heal appropriately and limit further lingering issues to the shoulder.
As for Oliver, his bad luck continues dating back to last year when it comes to injuries, as he rehabbed from his left knee injury after getting taken out by former teammate Reggie Gilliam in Week 4. With the well-timed bye, Oliver should be able to come back pretty close to 100 percent, much like Moore. I like that the Bills are looking long-term and sitting these guys now so they can be difference makers when it counts.
DT TJ Sanders (Left Shoulder)
Sanders did play after being questionable but he had a shoulder harness on the left shoulder during post game pictures.
He did injure the same shoulder in the playoffs last year, but without additional details, it’s hard to determine if this is a lingering concern or more of a temporary issue.
Final Thoughts
I’m glad that the Bills moved to 5-1 because that was a tough game to watch, letting the Raiders hang around as they did. This would have been a hard pill to swallow, losing the game and sitting on that for the next two weeks. They have a ton to fix on the defense and need to get more things in sync on the offense. Despite the record, this is a flawed team that needs to correct a lot on the bye if they expect to have a deep playoff run in them.
It always seems like these byes come at the perfect time, whether it comes due to injury or performance, but this allows the Bills to have extra time to prepare for the Baltimore Ravens off the bye. We’ll see how things look after the week off, but at least they have a win.
Top Photo Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
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