The Buffalo Bills go into their second match up of the season against the New York Jets with the best start for the franchise since 2011 and with a win, move to 6-2 and have their best start since 1993 when they started 7-1. This team continues to get healthier week after week despite key starters go down with injury. It is nearly impossible to go through an entire season without a team sustaining major injury, but the Bills are close to perfection in this area.
Breaking down the injury report for tonight’s game against the New York Jets, several injuries are worth noting. First off, TE Charles Clay (knee) and CB E.J. Gaines (hamstring) are listed as out for the game. No surprise with Clay considering the type of knee injury he sustained. Gaines is out because after coming off a groin injury, he sustained a hamstring injury the next game. While I do believe each injury alone isn’t severe enough to warrant an extended absence, the combined injuries along with their location require proper rest and rehab to ensure healing. I still believe Clay is several weeks away from returning to game shape, but is clearly progressing. Gaines should be ready for the Saints game, barring any set backs or new information.
S Jordan Poyer (knee) and LB Ramon Humber (thumb) are both listed as questionable. Poyer injured his knee during the last play of the Buccaneer’s game and missed the Raiders game as a result. I had originally thought that he sustained a Grade 1 MCL sprain and based on this latest news, still maintain that. I believe he will be a game time decision based on how he performs in warm ups. MetLife stadium is synthetic turf which can increase the ability for feet to stick in turf and can lead to the possibility of greater injury. However, if Poyer believes he can play, then I see no reason why he can’t. The medical staff has been on point this season and I do not believe he would rush back sooner than he needs to. I believe he will play Thursday without any signs of injury or risk further damage.
Humber has been out since October 1st with a broken thumb sustained against the Falcons. It has been 4 weeks since the injury which is enough time for a bone in that area to heal. It is unknown if he will play with any sort of protective bracing, but I also believe he will be ready to play Thursday night. If Humber does play, I would expect his reps to be limited in order to keep him fresh and allow LB Matt Milano to continue to develop as a rookie.
The rest of the injury report all practiced with full participation which included G Richie Incognito (ankle), T Cordy Glenn (foot/ankle), C Eric Wood (ankle), and WR Zay Jones (shoulder). Most of these injuries with the exception of Glenn appear to be the normal wear and tear of the NFL season. Nothing appears to be worse than it seems and should resolve with the extended break in between the Jets and Saints game.
Finally, despite what happens with Poyer and Humber, I believe that their replacements are suitable to fill in one more week if they play as well as they did against the Raiders. I expect a win out of these Bills and get the season sweep over the Jets. There is always a risk for injury especially in these division games where each team appears to bring their A-game, but the Bills are a deeper, more complete team that should wear down the Jets as the game wears on.
Check for my injury analysis following the Jets game and any new updates that occur. As always, thank you for reading and GO BILLS!!
