That was an absolute beatdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday Night Football with a score of 47-10 to move to 3-0 on the season. While this win moves the Bills to an even 10-10 all-time against the Jaguars, it sends a statement to the rest of the conference how the Bills are still very much one of the best teams to be reckoned with.
Even after the domination, the Bills came out of the game very healthy only having two instances of injury news. This is incredibly promising especially after losing Taron Johnson and Terrel Bernard in back-to-back games.
Below are all the injuries coming out of Monday’s win and analysis.
In-Game Injuries
CB Cam Lewis (Head Check)
Lewis was spotted coming out of the injury tent after Damar Hamlin’s interception with 4:13 left in the second quarter.
Looking at the play below, I don’t see any instance of Lewis taking a shot to the head unless it was out of the view of the camera. It’s entirely possible that one of the independent athletic trainers that are concussion spotters noted something that warranted a closer look.
Either way, he was assessed for a concussion and returned to the game.
OT Tylan Grable (Right Groin)
Grable went in at left tackle once the game was well in hand seeing three offense snaps midway through the fourth quarter. This was in addition to the seven special teams snaps on the field goal unit.
Regrettably, Grable suffered a right groin injury on either the first or second offense play as noted below. My assumption is that it was the first play due to losing his balance and falling.
Grable was able to finish the series which ended in a field goal before being ruled out with the groin injury.
Following an assessment by training staff on Tuesday, Grable has a core muscle/groin injury and will be out some time. The way this is worded suggests more of a core muscle tear which could require surgery at some point. Surgery will be indicated if he doesn’t respond to conservative rehab at first. The team may also know he needs surgery and just isn’t saying it yet. The roster transactions will be telling if they place him on injured reserve later this week.
Even as an offensive lineman, he could play through the injury but would be limited at times with his lateral movement, generating power from his right hip during blocking, and frequently deal with pain.
If he does require surgery, this isn’t a season-ending injury by any means but he could be out for a while depending on the severity of the injury. Outcomes are fantastic once players do return with nearly 95 percent returning to play (87.5 percent for OL) and an average missed time of 58 days for in-season repairs. If he does play through it, it’ll be pretty tricky and a very nagging injury.
From the injury history analysis, this is not something he has dealt with before. However, this does allow Ryan Van Demark to step up as the swing tackle and take over for now.
Other Notes
LB Terrel Bernard (Left Pectoral)/CB Taron Johnson (Right Forearm)
Both are good signs and reiterate their confidence that they would not need to place either on injured reserve. My bet is that Johnson returns sooner than Bernard especially since he has a few days head start on recovery.
I would hope both return to practice at least off to the side doing conditioning work. I bet that Johnson will return with a red non-contact jersey this week doing individual drills as well as he ramps back up.
Picture Day
Sunday was picture day at the field house and there was lots of little nuggets of injury information that could be gleaned from seeing the pictures.
Injuries to note included Matt Milano was seen for the first time since his injury without a hinged brace on the elbow, Terrel Bernard with possible residual bruising on the left shoulder/biceps region, Taron Johnson’s right forearm looking normal, Mitch Trubisky’s left knee looking normal, and the confirmation of Travis Clayton undergoing right shoulder surgery last week.
The Bills now begin a three week road trip with Week 4 at Baltimore, Week 5 in Houston, and Week 6 in New York to face the Jets. An extended road trip will test the resolve of any team and it will be incredible if the Bills exit with a 6-0 record. However, during this stretch, I do expect to see Terrel Bernard and Taron Johnson return to play in either Week 5 or 6 based on the loose timelines we have been given.
They are looking fantastic so far through three games and clearly show that they are one of the best teams in the league. We will get more information from the Bills injury report on Wednesday to provide a clearer picture for Sunday against the Ravens.
Top Photo Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Image
