The Buffalo Bills take one of their west coast road trips this season to go face the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 8 matchup. The Bills come into this matchup 5-2 and winners of their last two games whereas the Seattle Seahawks are 4-3, coming off a win after losing three straight.
Both teams come into this game with injuries on both sides of the ball which could affect game plans and create potential areas for exploitation.
Below are the full injury reports for each team, projected inactives, and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
OUT
DT DeWayne Carter (Right Wrist)
Carter suffered a right wrist injury that required x-rays after the game. He was later spotted with a brace on the wrist on X and on Wednesday, he was sporting a cast. Considering that he required imaging and a cast suggests that he suffered a wrist fracture.
On Friday, the team announced that he will require surgery to repair the damage in his wrist and that injured reserve is a possibility. There is a strong likelihood that he suffered a scaphoid fracture in his wrist. There are other possibilities, but considering he had a thumb splint for support, this supports that thought and scaphoid fractures are common with wrist fractures.
This would be a similar timeframe to what we saw with Dawson Knox where he missed five games and six weeks total.
Surgery would be indicated to place a pin in the bone to ensure it heals fully. The scaphoid bone is notoriously slow to heal and has a poor blood supply. This will ensure the bone heals correctly and fully without long term issues.
He has been placed on injured reserve with a realistic chance to return in Week 13. That would leave him missing four games and using the bye as additional time. He could return slightly quicker given that he does not have to catch or throw a football. To make a corresponding move, the team can either sign Darrynton Evans or Von Miller back to the roster or they sign another defensive tackle.
LB Terrel Bernard (Right Ankle/Left Pectoral)
Bernard continues to deal with various injuries, the latest to his right ankle. This occured when he had his right foot stepped on, stressing the lateral portion of ankle. He did attempt to return for two plays before exiting for the day, not being able to perform on the ankle.
Initially, this appeared to be a lateral ankle sprain which is pretty routine for any football player. However, I did have some concern about his ability to control the ankle when he did return which either shows some notable instability or the presence of a peroneal tendon injury.
The peroneal tendons help with plantar flexion and eversion of the foot or pushing down and out. They also provide stabilization of the lateral ankle during the stance phase. Basically, if his ankle is not able to remain stable when he is pushing off of it while walking, he can’t jump or move laterally. This is speculation given the mechanism of injury and the fact that we haven’t seen him move around since suffering the injury.
The peroneal strain is fairly rare, but considering the past trauma from last year’s ankle sprain, it’s possible. There isn’t a lot of research to show return to play in NFL players, but the approach would be similar to that of a lateral ankle sprain. Focus on regaining stability and strength in the area and increase the workload. With prior cases of ankle instability, 77 percent of cases had some level of peroneal tendon involvement. Teammate Von Miller did dislocate his peroneal tendons in 2020, but that was an extreme case.
Bernard was out Wednesday and Thursday with a personal issue and was unable to practice. He was ruled out on Friday and once he gets back to practice, we may get a better idea of how he is looking for Week 9. I do expect him to linger on the injury report as he rehabs from this injury.
WR Curtis Samuel (Right Pectoral)
Samuel’s injury may be the oddest of the bunch this week with his shoulder injury officially a pectoral injury. This was not on my list of differential diagnosis when looking at a shoulder injury.
His right elbow hits and trying to brace himself may have stressed the pectoralis major or even pectoralis minor.
Knowing that he has this injury, he will have trouble blocking or stiff arming defenders. He will be able to catch balls but won’t be able to fight for control before the catch or have to alligator arm the ball. Even if he could play this weekend, I would worry about ball security. This injury does not appear as severe as Terrel Bernard’s but he has been ruled out for now.
ACTIVE
QB Josh Allen (Left Hand)
Allen continues to require treatment on his left hand injury from Week 1. He has not missed any time since the injury.
S Damar Hamlin (Ankle)
Hamlin is a new addition to the injury report this week with an ankle designation after playing in 95 percent of snaps on Sunday. He did not go in for the final series as the game was firmly in hand.
WR Mack Hollins (Left Shoulder)
Hollins continues to show up on the injury report due to what I believe is a left shoulder injury dating back to the Week 6 Houston Texans loss. Based on how he fell and that he wears the red non-contact jersey during the week suggests that he is working through an AC joint sprain that requires an injection to be ready for game day.
CB Taron Johnson (Right Forearm)
Johnson continues to limit contact to his right forearm due to his fracture during the week wearing the red non-contact jersey. He has played exceptionally well upon his return and his presence on the injury report is more for maintenance than actual injury at this point.
DT DaQuan Jones (Foot)
Jones is on the injury report once again with a foot injury for the second week in a row. He did have a drop off in snaps on Sunday but that may have been due to Ed Oliver returning after missing two games.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Collarbone)
Kincaid remains on the injury report with what appears to be a right collarbone injury suffered in Week 6 against the New York Jets. By video last week, it looked as though he suffered a collarbone contusion when Michael Clemons fell onto his right shoulder, but he continues to wear a red non-contact jersey in practice.
As we are seeing this play out, there remains the possibility of a sternoclavicular joint sprain based on how Clemons fell, pushing his shoulder back, placing stress on the SC joint. If that is indeed the case, limiting contact during practice and taking an injection before the game would make sense.
TE Dawson Knox (Right Foot/Ankle)
Knox suffered a right ankle injury late in the third quarter as noted above. It’s not clear the specific ankle injury that was initially described as a foot before Wednesday’s practice.
He was seen riding the bike with the ankle taped up to provide extra stability and manage any swelling. On Thursday, he was able to return in a limited role and on Friday, got a full practice in with no designation.
TE Quintin Morris (Right Shoulder)
Morris has been on the injury report since Week 1 following his right shoulder injury suffered against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason. The shoulder harness and timeline suggests a labral tear.
DE Dawuane Smoot (Groin)
Smoot did not practice on Wednesday after suffering a groin injury midway through the second quarter. He briefly required assessment in the medical tent before coming back out and finishing the game.
He was able to increase his workload everyday this week and has no designation.
QB Mitchell Trubisky (Left Knee)
Trubisky has been on the injury report dating back to Week 1 after suffering a left knee MCL sprain against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Knee)
Williams was termed day-to-day after suffering a left knee injury during a pile up midway through the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win. By video, it looks as though his knee was hit in the pile which led to his early exit with the exception of one special teams play.
On Wednesday, he was wearing a hinged brace under his sweatpants but moving well throughout drills. Considering that his knee was hit from the inside, this may be a mild MCL sprain that he will work through. He does not have a gameday designation and is ready to go.
INJURED RESERVE
RB Darrynton Evans (Left Hamstring)
This is the last week for Evans to practice under his practice window following his left hamstring injury in the final preseason game. If he does not get activated to the roster, he will revert to injured reserve and be done for the season.
According to Chris Jahnke, he has until October 30 to be activated. If you ever want to know roster transaction rules and info, he’s a fantastic follow and has helped me out immensely.
Seattle Seahawks Injury Report
DOUBTFUL
WR DK Metcalf (Right Knee)
After Metcalf left in the third quarter due to a right knee injury, he was unable to finish the game and underwent an MRI the following day. Reports indicated that he had a Grade 1 MCL sprain. This is the ligament that runs on the inside portion of the knee that stabilizes the knee during valgus movements such as cutting.
Even after being deemed week-to-week, there was still optimism that Metcalf would try to play. This is what I had said at Dynasty League Fantasy regarding Metcalf:
Despite the positive news but updated timeframe, Metcalf has come out and stated that he will still try to play. If Metcalf can get the swelling under control and maintain his full range of motion, he could realistically play on Sunday knowing he has the bye the following week. He will rely on straight line speed and routes to the right to maximize his skill set.
With the Seahawks having a bye next week, the incentive could be that Metcalf has an extra week to recover should he tweak the knee. Metcalf has only missed one game in his career due to a rib injury last year and I expect Metcalf to make every effort to play.
There appears to be too much smoke for them to not have him reasonably try to play.
NT Cameron Young (Knee)
Young is still working back from a knee injury that he suffered towards the end of the 2023 season that cost him all of the offseason and training camp, landing him on PUP. He had been ramping up during his 21-day practice window originally started on October 2 and then played in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers. He logged two defensive and one special teams snap before exiting the game.
He did not play last week.
QUESTIONABLE
CB Tre Brown (Ankle)
Brown missed last week’s game after suffering an ankle injury in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers. He was able to practice in a limited capacity this week and is officially questionable.
CB Nemehiah Pritchett (Ankle)
Pritchett suffered an ankle injury in Week 7 while trying to fill in for Tre Brown appearing in 95 percent of defensive snaps and 15 percent of special teams snaps. Should Brown be available, I would expect either a timeshare or for Pritchett to sit this one out.
DE Mike Morris (Ankle)
Morris is a new addition to the injury report this week with an ankle designation. He largely sees his snaps on special teams which means this injury should not limit his abilities come Sunday despite his questionable designation.
ACTIVE
DE Leonard Williams (Knee)
Williams suffered a knee injury in Week 6 and did not have a designation heading into last week. He only played in 62 percent of snaps after playing in. 91 percent the prior week.
RB Kenneth Walker (Illness)
Walker did not practice on Wednesday with an illness but returned back on Thursday as a limited participant before upgrading to full on Friday. He has no game day designation.
CB Tariq Woolen (Ankle)
Woolen exited the Week 5 game versus the New York Giants with an ankle injury and has missed the last two games. He has not been able to practice the last two weeks being ruled out ahead of Sunday. Looking at the film, Woolen exited the game in Week 5 early in the fourth quarter. There doesn’t appear to be a specific instance where he injured the ankle which makes determining what specifically happened more difficult.
The timeline suggests that this may have been a high-ankle sprain which would mean that he will still have some difficulty with cutting motions and backpedaling to maintain with his assignment. Having the two weeks off helped him greatly but we could see him struggle as the game wears on.
S Julian Love (Knee/Quad)
Love has been battling injuries dating back to Week 4 when he first suffered a thigh injury. This transitioned to a hamstring injury over the last two weeks before appearing on the report due to a knee/quad issue.
His snap counts have not been affected other than a few percentage points here and there but this does not appear to be a concerning issue, more of the bumps and bruises seen playing football.
TE Brady Russell (Shoulder)
Russell is working through a shoulder injury that does not have really any information other than it is a new injury this week. He is primarily a special teams player and should continue that role heading into Week 8.
LB Boye Mafe (Knee)
Mafe has been working through a knee injury that dates back to Week 2 that he appeared to play through in Week 3 before missing the following two weeks. Returning to play in Week 6, the team appears to be managing his snaps, appearing in 35 percent of defensive snaps in Week 6 before upping to 49 percent in Week 7.
This is still a decline from his starter reps seen in the 70’s and 80’s from the beginning of the season. I would expect he sees more playing time this week.
INJURED RESERVE
S Jerrick Reed (Knee)
Reed suffered a torn ACL last year in Week 11 and started the season on the PUP list as he continues to rehab and ramp up. His practice window opened last week and will need to be activated to the roster in order to play.
OT George Fant (Knee)
Fant is currently on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury back in Week 1. It appeared that he tried to rehab and play through the injury as he was doubtful for Week 2 before being placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 3. He opened his practice window this week and will need to be activated to the roster to play.
OT Abe Lucas (Knee)
Lucas has been slowly working back from a knee injury sustained in the 2023 season opener and missed 10 games. He was able to return before exiting again and undergoing at least one procedure.
He was placed on PUP to begin the season and his practice window opened up this week. He would need to be activated to the roster to play this weekend.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
WR Curtis Samuel
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
OL Will Clapp
LB Terrel Bernard
S Mike Edwards
DT DeWayne Carter- IR
Seattle Seahawks Projected Inactives
DT Cameron Young
CB Nehemiah Pritchett
EDGE Trevis Gipson
DT Myles Adams
G Sataoa Laumea
Final Thoughts
This is going to be a close game that depending on who plays from the questionable list could be the difference. The Seahawks have a talented team with electric wide receivers and powerful running backs. They also have talent on defense that can keep up with everyone which could make the Bills work that much harder for every yard.
Traveling cross country will only make things more difficult for the Bills to hit the ground running. It would not surprise me to see the Bills make a few early mistakes which could lead them to being down early. They have not won in Seattle since 2004 and with this Bills team, they have a great chance to break that drought.
I expect this to be a one score game and each team having an equal opportunity to win. The Seahawks are certainly a dark horse team in the NFC that can make the playoffs and potentially win a game or two. The Bills need wins over teams like this and to grind out a win to prepare themselves to break through in the playoffs should they meet Kansas City or even Baltimore.
Top Photo Credit: Rich Barnes/Getty Images
