The Buffalo Bills take on the New York Jets in Week 10 in their first meeting this year. Despite the record differences, this is a crucial AFC East matchup that will have significant implications on the division race, playoff seeding, and tiebreakers come January.
The Bills enter at 7-1, best in the AFC while the Jets are 2-7, midway between playoff contention and the basement, basically no-man’s land. They have been competitive with most teams this season but have come out on the losing side in what looks to be another lost season.
Read below for the full injury analysis for each team and projected inactives.
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BUFFALO BILLS INJURY REPORT
DOUBTFUL
OT Spencer Brown (Right Ankle)
Brown suffered a right ankle injury with 7:05 left in the first quarter on the second drive of Monday’s game. This appeared to happen when he went in motion across the line and appeared to clip G O’Cyrus Torrence before taking another step and falling to his left. It’s not clear whether he stepped on Torrence’s foot or kicked it. He was able to return to finish the game but has since been listed doubtful for this contest.
This right ankle injury was further confirmed on The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia’s Joe B football podcast within the first 5 minutes. He stated that Brown was seen in sandals with a big wrap on his right ankle during practice this week.
This is also the same ankle that he’s injured twice in his career. The first time came in 2022 which forced him to miss two games and the other in 2024 that cost him one game. He was on the injury report for 3 weeks each time and both were low ankle sprains. Coincidentally, they also occurred mid-season like this one.
Brown has a 0.7 percent chance to play Sunday according to the Banged Up Bills injury database. Additionally, the Bills have not had a doubtful player suit up since Week 1 of the 2014 season with Boobie Dixon and Ron Brooks in Week 6 of that same year. I don’t see how he plays. Considering the Bills have the Jets this week and Dolphins next week, this may be a great opportunity to let Brown get fully healthy especially since they play the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving.
QUESTIONABLE
CB Christian Benford (Right Wrist)
Benford had to briefly leave Monday’s game after he appeared to sprain his wrist covering Justin Jefferson late in the second quarter. He used the cart to get to the locker room faster to get an x-ray before returning with tape on the area in the second half.
He then re-injured the wrist on a block from the Vikings fullback midway through the third quarter and was held out of the game as the Bills continued to score. Benford himself said his wrist is good and with only some tape on the area along with a full practice, he appears ready to play barring any surprises this weekend. He is currently a 68.8 percent chance to play.
S Sam Franklin (Shoulder)
Franklin was a new addition to the injury report this week with a shoulder injury that we don’t have a lot of information on. He either injured the shoulder in practice on Thursday or this was a lingering issue from Monday. He was limited Thursday and Friday before being designated as questionable. I would expect he plays based on his special teams role, but he’s the one guy who’s a true coin flip at 51.9 percent to play Sunday.
ACTIVE
G Alec Anderson (Right Ankle)
Anderson was able to get a full week of practice this week and will return to the starting lineup after he missed last week with what looked to be a right high-ankle sprain. Austin Corbett filled in for him while he was out but there was a noticeable drop off with Corbett playing versus Anderson.
Even when Anderson does return, he still won’t be 100 percent and may at times aggravate the ankle especially movement to his right or if he gets rolled up on again.
OT Dion Dawkins (Rib)
Dawkins is set to return after missing last week due to his rib injury sustained against the Baltimore Ravens. It’s still not clear what the exact rib injury was but considering he missed the game, I suspect that he suffered a rib cartilage injury that prevented him from being able to protect himself or perform all his blocking duties.
I do expect him to wear a flank jacket and limit contact to the area, but he should help shore up the left side of the line with Anderson.
DL Greg Gaines (Calf)
After missing the last two games due to a calf injury suffered in the final practice before Week 7, Gaines will return to the field as another depth option.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Ankle)
Kincaid was able to get a full practice in on Friday after briefly leaving after rolling his left ankle with 14:12 left in the fourth quarter during a screen pass to DJ Moore. He went to the sidelines to get taped back up and was able to finish the game. This appeared to be a low-ankle sprain and something that may linger but shouldn’t affect performance.
C Connor McGovern (Neck)
McGovern was a new addition to the injury report this week with a neck designation that kept him limited until getting a full practice in on Friday. He is not one to miss games and this is another exception.
G Ar’Maj Reed-Adams (Right Elbow/Back)
Reed-Adams continues to work through his right elbow and back injuries from practice this year but finally made his NFL debut last week.
DL TJ Sanders (Left Shoulder)
Sanders is still working through his left shoulder injury that was injured against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5.
INJURED RESERVE
DB Jordan Hancock (Hamstring)
Hancock continues to work his way back from his hamstring injury suffered in practice ahead of Week 3. He was able to get full practices in all this week which means he is getting closer to returning but will need a roster transaction to play this weekend. As he is a week behind Shavers, the Bills need to make a decision on his return by Thanksgiving.
WR Tyrell Shavers (Left ACL Tear)
Shavers continues to ramp up in his practice window as he returns from his left ACL tear suffered in the playoffs last year. The Bills have until November 18 for his activation to the roster, otherwise he reverts to PUP and is done for the season. The Bills will need to make a roster transaction in order for him to play. At this point, they should wait to see how Sunday plays out.
NEW YORK JETS INJURY REPORT
OUT
LB Trevin Wallace (Groin)
Wallace appeared to injure his groin in the Wednesday practice ahead of Week 9 and has been unable to practice since then. He has been exclusively a special teams player so far this season but will miss his second consecutive game.
QUESTIONABLE
DT Harrison Phillips (Ankle)
Phillips has been managing an ankle injury since he suffered the original injury back in Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders. He played in a season-low 40.9 percent of snaps though it’s not clear how much of that was due to his ankle. He is a player who does not miss games and in fact, he has not missed a game since he left Buffalo in 2021 and only missed extended time due to his ACL tear in 2019. He was unable to practice Wednesday or Thursday before getting a full practice in and is officially questionable with a 81.2 percent chance to play according to the Banged Up Bills injury database. I think he’s going to want to play against his old team.
WR Garrett Wilson (Concussion)
Wilson exited the Week 8 loss to the Raiders in the final seconds after he took a brutal helmet-to-helmet hit as seen below.
He was unfortunately unable to pass through concussion protocol and missed Week 9. He was able to return as a limited participant this week before getting a full practice in on Friday. He likely has to get cleared by the independent neurologist but all signs point to him playing Sunday.
WR Omar Cooper Jr (Right Ankle)
Cooper is back on the injury report after re-injuring his right ankle last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. He had previously injured this ankle in Week 1 that was confirmed to be a high-ankle sprain and was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 2, missing 4 games.
This is an injury he will have to continue managing throughout the season but has been productive in three of the last four games with two of them going over 100 yards receiving. Despite the injury, he is still very much a dangerous threat especially against the Bills secondary. Despite the questionable designation, he got a full practice in on Friday and I’d expect he plays even though he is a 74.7 percent chance to play according to the Banged Up Bills injury database.
EDGE Joseph Ossai (Ankle)
Ossai has been working through his ankle injury since suffering the original injury back in Week 5, playing just 32.4 percent of defensive snaps before exiting. This came after he missed the first two games of the season due to a ruptured plantar fascia.
Based on his timeline missed, he may have been working through a high-ankle sprain as he was considered week-to-week back in mid-October.
After limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday, he got a full practice on Friday. Despite the 72.4 percent chance to play, having missed as much time as he has gives a strong indicator that he should return after a month off.
CB Nashon Wright (Back)
Wright missed last week’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs after suffering a back injury in the Friday practice leading up to Sunday. He has been a primary special teams player and has not seen any game action since Week 7. He is officially questionable and has a 80.3 percent chance to play, but he hasn’t played much this year. Someone needs to sit and Wright could probably benefit to get healthier.
DB Jarvis Brownlee (Illness)
Brownlee missed practice on Thursday due to an illness but returned on Friday. He has a 76.4 percent chance to suit up but considering only 16 percent miss league wide historically, that’s a good sign for his availability. Add in the full designation on Friday and that drops to 1.9 percent. I’d expect he plays.
WR Adonai Mitchell (Knee)
Mitchell appeared on the injury report with a knee injury on Friday but was a full participant and listed as questionable. We don’t know the extent of his injury and despite the full practice, this is something that could have been bothering him and he finally reported it. He is listed at 48 percent to play and with the late week injury, it’s pretty much a coin flip. The Jets are at a 60.2 percent questionable play rate this year which slightly favors Mitchell, considering they’re trying to save their season, I’m leaning towards him playing though if he doesn’t, it won’t be surprising.
INJURED RESERVE
S VJ Payne (Knee)
Payne was designated to return from injured reserve on November 4 after initially suffering a bone bruise in his knee during training camp. In order to play, he would need to be activated to the roster and would make his NFL debut.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
OT Spencer Brown
G Ar’Maj Reed-Adams
S Jalon Kilgore
DT Greg Gaines
DE Mike Danna
New York Jets Projected Inactives
LB Trevin Wallace
G Kohl Levao
OT Blake Freeland
CB Nahshon Wright
DT Jack Heflin
Final Thoughts
The Bills have to establish dominance fast and not even let the Jets get settled. The Jets do have talent on both sides of the ball and have kept up with most teams this season which is an improvement over last season. The longer the Jets stay in this game, the more likely they can capitalize on a mistake or turnover.
This is pretty much a must-win game if the Bills want to maintain control of the number one seed in the AFC. Losing division games hurt those chances and really hurt tiebreakers especially since the Jets have lost to a lot of common opponents. The Bills are at a disadvantage having to travel and with the flight disruptions, this could affect how fast they get there.
I’m expecting a close game in the early portion with the Bills pulling away in the second half to ice the game. And always, no injuries.
Make sure to check back after the game for the latest injury updates.
Top Photo Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images
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