After the Buffalo Bills seemed like they were trending towards being one of the healthier teams hitting the midpoint of the season, the injury report grew by several names throughout the week.
While the Bills are favored by -14.5 and can afford to be without a player or two at times, missing key players at multiple positions only evens the playing field and allow a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars to hang around in a game like this.
Below are all the injuries heading into the game and projected inactives.
BUFFALO BILLS INJURIES
OUT
G Jon Feliciano (Left Calf)
Feliciano has already been ruled out with a left calf injury suffered late in the win over the Dolphins Sunday. The team has discussed placing him on injured reserve and if they do, they will make this transaction later on Saturday. If he goes on IR, he could return in Week 12 against the Saints on Thanksgiving or possibly even later.
If he doesn’t go on IR, there’s a chance he could return sooner against the Colts in Week 11, but Week 12 is a short week and the few extra rest days would only help Feliciano. In his place will be either Ike Boettger or Cody Ford for the time being.
For more information including the research and timelines for Feliciano, they are outlined in the postgame review from Tuesday.
Update: He was placed on IR and Jamil Douglas has taken his roster spot.
TE Dawson Knox (Right-Hand Fracture)
Knox continues to work back from his right-hand fracture suffered in Week 6 that required surgery. He has been seen with a bigger wrap on his hand the past few days and has padding under his glove which was expected.
I had predicted he would return in Week 9 against the Jaguars, but it appears that the team wants to wait one more week before they get him back out there. I suspect that he is still having pain catching the ball or stiffness within the hand, requiring extra time off.
In the video above, he can be seen catching the ball but not throwing it back suggesting that the strength within the hand is not quite there yet. The padding may also be limiting his ability to grip the ball, but if he has trouble gripping the ball to throw, I would expect he would have trouble catching throws from Josh Allen.
If this had been a more important game, it’s highly likely he would have played, but the Bills are fortunate to allow guys to get as close to 100 percent health-wise during this lull in the schedule. For more details regarding the injury, check out the article over at Buffalo Rumblings.
OT Spencer Brown (Back)
Brown continues to miss practice dealing with a back injury sustained last Monday as he was training. The specifics of the injury continue to be unknown but the fact that he was out for Sunday followed by no practice this week suggests that Brown is dealing with something bigger than the team may have to manage moving forward.
Without further information, speculating what he could be dealing with is going down a deep, dark rabbit hole. I’m going to step back and wait to see how this plays out.
I can say that during his conditioning off to the side Wednesday, he did not appear to be thrilled to be out there performing high-stepping drills. As a fan base and myself as a PT, I hope that he is able to successfully conservatively manage whatever he is dealing with and get back out on the field.
QUESTIONABLE
WR Cole Beasley (Left Ribs)
Beasley has missed the last two practices with a rib injury sustained during Sunday’s game. He was able to practice in a limited fashion Friday with a questionable designation. If you want to go back and read more about the specifics of the injury and when it occurred, check out the tweet below.
He was able to run and perform conditioning during Thursday’s practice following not practicing Wednesday. Whether this is a painful contusion that requires rest or cracked floating ribs or false ribs/cartilage is anyone’s guess other than the team’s.
He did get in a limited practice Friday and Sean McDermott was hopeful that he could play Sunday. With an injection and padding/bracing, he could play through, but depending on the severity will determine if he plays.
As to whether he should play, that will be up to him, the medical staff, and the team.
S Jordan Poyer (Shoulder)
Poyer missed Thursday’s practice with a shoulder injury after not having a designation on Wednesday.
Sean McDermott later noted that Poyer bumped his shoulder on Wednesday which led to missing Thursday and being limited Friday. He isn’t one to miss games, having only missed 2 games during his time in Buffalo, but the Jaguars are on the same talent level as the Texans which could mean Poyer could sit this one out.
DT Justin Zimmer (Foot)
Zimmer practiced in full all this week with a foot injury that forced him to miss Sunday’s game after being questionable. There still isn’t any clarity on the exact injury and we’re unlikely to get that information as well. It’s great to see him return to the field and continue his productive play.
Other observations:
S Micah Hyde (Right Thumb)
Hyde was not on the injury report this week but a Twitter user noted in a Buffalo Bills video that he had a bandage on the right hand while he was picking up a box. Based on the location and shape of the bandage, it appeared to be a thumb spica splint.
This was further confirmed when Jon Scott of Spectrum News highlighted a video below showing that Hyde was wearing a splint on the right hand as he had difficulty gripping the ball to throw it through the net.
As to the specific injury, the hope is that this is a simple thumb sprain that the team is simply protecting. Speaking with Jon, he noted that he asked about this injury and stated that Hyde wears it during practice, though he didn’t clarify how long he has been doing this.
There is concern that there is something else going on, but we don’t have a mechanism of injury nor do we have an injury report designation. This will be something to monitor if he shows up later on the injury report.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS INJURIES
QUESTIONABLE
RB James Robinson (Bruised Heel)
Robinson suffered a bruised heel as the result of a hit going out of bounds on Sunday, hitting a piece of equipment on the sidelines before exiting the game. He did not practice Wednesday and Thursday before participating in a limited role Friday.
Urban Meyer came out and said that this was a pain issue and has seemed pretty optimistic that he would play Sunday. Considering that a running back needs to be up on the balls of their feet and sprinting, I would expect that Robinson suits up.
ACTIVE
CB Tyson Campbell (Toe)
Campbell has been dealing with a toe injury the last month, missing two games and using the bye to recover and playing in Week 8. Details of the injury are not available but considering the timeline and designation, this makes me think turf toe.
He was able to play in nearly every defensive snap and half of the special teams’ snaps Sunday which means that he is closer to 100 percent, but his coverage abilities appear to be lacking which could be an opportunity for the Bills to take advantage.
DT DaVon Hamilton (Shoulder)
Hamilton missed Week 7 with a shoulder injury and then due to other injuries around the roster, was forced to play through the injury. He only recorded 1 assisted tackle on 42 percent of defensive snaps. If he is that ineffective again, the Buffalo may be able to move the ball up the middle with greater ease.
RB Carlos Hyde (Calf)
Hyde worked through a calf designation this week, though it appeared to be minor as it has not forced him to miss any time. If for some reason James Robinson doesn’t play or exits early, then Hyde would step up in his place.
Considering he was a full participant Thursday and Friday, the severity of his calf injury appears to be very minor, and is less likely to become re-aggravated during the game.
OL Ben Bartch (Illness)
Bartch was out with an illness Wednesday and then practiced in full on Thursday and Friday indicating that this is a non-issue moving forward.
LB Dakota Allen (Ankle)
There is no information available regarding Allen’s ankle injury other than he did not practice Wednesday, was limited Thursday, and practiced in full on Friday.
BUFFALO BILLS PROJECTED INACTIVES
OT Spencer Brown
TE Dawson Knox
RB Matt Breida
DE Efe Obada
DE Boogie Basham
G Jon Feliciano*
Projected practice squad call up: TE Quintin Morris
Update: Jon Feliciano has been placed on IR and Jamil Douglas has been signed to the active roster.
COVID: QB Mitchell Trubisky was placed on COVID reserve list, QB Davis Webb was elevated in his place.
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS PROJECTED INACTIVES
LB Jordan Smith
CB Chris Claybrooks
RB Devine Ozigbo
DT Taven Bryan
TE Jacob Hollister
I believe most of these inactives for the Bills are due more to scheme needs and the opponent rather than whether the player can actually perform due to injury.
If the Jaguars suffer any injuries to their starters in the game, they have little depth at each position due to injuries and could be exposed badly.
I had noted last week that the Bills need to get in and out without injury which they almost did last week. I do hope that once the Bills are up by a certain amount, they put the backups in to avoid meaningless injuries.
Sean McDermott doesn’t want the team to look ahead, but they need to be looking towards at least at Week 11 due to the Colts showing signs of competitiveness and could pose a threat if they are missing any key players over the next two weeks. Here’s to one more Bills win and avoiding injuries.
Top Photo Credit: Adrian Kraus, AP
