The Buffalo Bills return from their bye recharged and refreshed as they look to tackle the last six games of the season. They host the struggling 49ers at 5-6 on Sunday Night Football and with a win, would clinch the AFC East for the fifth consecutive year. Once they secure the division, this would be the second-longest streak of division titles in the AFC East’s history, second to the New England Patriots 11 titles between 2009-2019. This also breaks the franchise’s record for consecutive division titles from 1988-1991.
While the Bills can clinch, they still have an opponent in the 49ers as the defending NFC Champions. They have been beat up by injuries but still have a ton of talent to make a run much like the Bills did last year.
Below are the injury reports for each team along with projected inactives and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
OUT
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid appeared to suffer a left PCL sprain against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 10 diving for a deep pass. He attempted to return to play but was forced to leave. He missed in Week 11 and the thought was that he could be ready to go in Week 13. However, he was unable to practice on Wednesday and would not have practiced on Thursday had they practiced because of Thanksgiving.
The Bills have done well with known PCL sprains getting players back to play in a reasonable timeframe, but it looks like Kincaid requires a little more time than originally thought. Below is a list of players who have missed time due to PCL sprains which shows a wide variety of timelines.
Considering the expected poor weather on Sunday, the Bills may preemptively be holding Kincaid out to prevent re-injury should he fall on the knee again. I’ll grow concerned if he does not practice next week.
QUESTIONABLE
WR Keon Coleman (Right Wrist)
Coleman returned to practice this week after missing the last two games due to a right wrist injury suffered in Week 9. The injury has generally been shrouded in mystery with few clues as to the exact issue he’s dealing with.
He was able to catch passes with both hands as noted above and he was catching balls from Josh Allen in practice on Wednesday. However, he continues to wear a red non-contact jersey and limited all week which may prevent him from playing one more week.
Based on that info, he may be held out for one more week but he’s very close to playing. I have a strong feeling we will find out more about this injury later on, but for now, we have to go off the few clues we are given.
ACTIVE
OT Spencer Brown (Right Ankle)
Brown was able to practice this week after suffering a right ankle injury and was seen at practice on Wednesday with a brace on the outside portion of his shoe as seen below. He is still working through a right low ankle sprain that simply wasn’t ready to go two weeks ago against the Chiefs.
He has stated that he will play Sunday and will still likely wear the brace due to to the protection it offers and the poor footing due to the snow.
WR Amari Cooper (Left Wrist)
Cooper continues to require the use of a short cast on his left wrist following his injury back in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. He missed the following two games but returned in Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
His primary limitation is pain as they’ve mentioned several times which has me suspecting a TFCC injury, damage to the cartilage attaching the wrist to the forearm. He may continue to wear the cast for several weeks longer to protect the still healing area and prevent further injury.
LB Terrel Bernard (Right Ankle)
Bernard is finally off the injury report for his left pectoral strain suffered in Week 2. However, he is still requiring treatment for his right ankle injury suffered back in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. The bye week certainly helped him to recover fully but keep in mind that this is the same ankle he injured last year which means there may be more chronic instability within the ankle at this point.
He will continue to play but the ankle issue may continue to linger the rest of the season.
CB Kaiir Elam (Left Shoulder)
Elam continues to require rehab for his left shoulder dislocation suffered back in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins. He requires the use of a shoulder harness to protect from any future instability events.
FB Reggie Gilliam (Hip)
Gilliam is still on the injury report due to a hip injury suffered in practice prior to Week 8. He returned to play in Week 11 after missing two games.
WR Mack Hollins (Left Shoulder)
Hollins continues to require regular maintenance for his shoulder injury sustained against the Houston Texans in Week 5. He has not missed any games with this possibly being an AC joint sprain he is working through that he has likely aggravated at times.
DT DaQuan Jones (Foot)
Jones has been managing a chronic foot injury dating back to Week 6 with his snap counts largely not changing.
TE Quintin Morris (Right Shoulder)
Morris continues to require regular treatment on his right shoulder dating back to the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is wearing a shoulder harness suggesting a labral tear. His hamstring strain he suffered back in Week 8 appears to be no longer an issue.
S Taylor Rapp (Left Foot/Left Shoulder)
Rapp has been elevating his play over the last few weeks despite working through a left foot issue that cropped up in practice in Week 7. He is also dealing with a left shoulder injury that was heavily taped against Kansas City in Week 11.
This injury dates back to potentially as early as Week 9 against the Dolphins but he’s also had a brace or take on his right shoulder at times too.
WR Curtis Samuel (Right Pectoral)
Samuel has been playing through his right pectoral strain suffered against the Tennessee Titans back in Week 7 and missing Week 8. Despite the injury, he has had his best production of the season over the last two games. He is also no longer dealing with his foot issue.
DE Casey Toohill (Left Knee)
Toohill continues to wear a hinged knee brace following a MCL sprain suffered against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Knee)
Williams still requires treatment for his left knee injury suffered against the Tennessee Titans, wearing a hinged knee brace.
INJURED RESERVE
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps/Right Leg)
Milano continues to ramp up his practice participation, getting in full practices this week. He looks well out on the field wearing both a hinged elbow brace and a shoulder harness to reduce potential stress on the surgically repaired distal bicep tendon.
To add context to Thad’s video above, Milano is wearing a shoulder harness so if he gets the arm caught behind him for some reason, it doesn’t overextend the shoulder & stress the bicep attachment at the elbow.
Despite the full designations, the Bills have no incentive to rush him back out there. All signs appear to have him suiting up this weekend on what should be a pitch count of likely 25 percent or certain defensive packages such as third down.
UPDATE: HE IS BACK!
DT DeWayne Carter (Right Wrist)
Carter returned to practice this week following a right wrist injury back in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans. He underwent surgery to potentially pin the possible scaphoid fracture or address any ligament issues.
Carter looks like he’s doing well so far and could be ready to be activated as soon as this weekend if they need him.
OT Tylan Grable (Core Muscle/Groin)
Grable returned to practice on Wednesday, opening his 21-day practice window. It was confirmed on One Bills Live that he underwent surgery for a core muscle repair.
Players that return in-season miss an average of 58 days which is about two months. This is time elapsed since he suffered the injury and surgery. His return will be dictated when there is an available roster spot to activate him. Fortunately, there are no decrease in performance metrics upon returning.
San Francisco 49ers Injury Report
OUT
DE Nick Bosa (Bilateral Hip/Oblique)
Bosa has been dealing with a right hip pointer and oblique injury dating back to Wednesday practice ahead of the Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has been able to play through the injury against the Bucs before he suffered another hip/oblique injury against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. In addition, he aggravated the original injury.
Watch the video and you can see how his left hip hits 70 of the Seahawks, suffering a hip pointer. He later confirmed that his injury was to his opposite hip/oblique that he had injured previously.
Hip pointers are painful bruises to the iliac crests on your hip as seen below. This is also where the obliques connect at which makes flexing and rotating at the trunk difficult. Considering he has injuries to both sides now, this will be incredibly difficult for him to bend the edge and wrap up his tackle.
If he somehow does play, I don’t see how he can be an every down player. He would potentially come in for obvious blitz packages or where they need to provide extra pressure on third down. He would be best served to miss another game, but injuries to both sides will really rob him of what makes him great.
OL Aaron Banks (Concussion)
Banks suffered a concussion in the Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers and was unable to practice all week.
CB Demommodore Lenoir (Knee)
Lenoir suffered a knee injury sometime in the first quarter and required medical attention on the sidelines. Fortunately, the injury didn’t appear to be serious as he was able to return later and play nearly every snap.
On Friday, it was reported that he has a deep bone bruise which explains why he isn’t playing.
OT Trent Williams (Left Ankle)
Williams suffered what appeared to be a left ankle injury two weeks ago against Tampa Bay and was initially able to play through the issue. Unfortunately, he appeared to aggravate the injury against Tampa Bay which prevented him from practicing all last week before he was ruled inactive. WR Jacob Cowing (Concussion)
Cowling missed last week after suffering a concussion against the Seattle Seahawks. He suffered the hit when he took a punt return back in the second quarter and was ruled out, unable to practice last week.
On Wednesday, he was spotted in the locker room with a knee scooter keeping his left ankle elevated. That does not appear to be a man that will suit up in an NFL game on Sunday.
DT Jordan Elliot (Concussion)
Elliot suffered a concussion during Sunday’s game against the Packers, ruled out after not practicing all week.
QUESTIONABLE
QB Brock Purdy (Right Shoulder Soreness)
Purdy has been an interesting case over the last two weeks after dealing with shoulder soreness in his throwing shoulder following the loss to the Seahawks. He was limited that Wednesday before leaving practice early on Thursday after throwing several balls.
He reportedly underwent another MRI on Thursday according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. So to clarify, the team did an initial MRI following the game on Monday, Glazer’s report showed a small strain which would be the rotator cuff. He threw on Thursday and experienced tightness which forced them to have him undergo a second MRI which didn’t show any changes.
He was able to return to light throwing on Monday without issues. The big concern is a strain is an injury, no matter how minor the injury may appear. He’ll need to slowly increase his workload to make sure he can perform all the throws that are required and without pain. It’s not impossible that he could play on Sunday, but Brandon Allen better be warmed up in case Purdy takes another hit to the area or begins tightening up, especially in the cold.
On Wednesday, he was a limited participant in practice, throwing one short pass before sitting off to the side and not throwing.
Friday saw him increase his throwing participation and according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Purdy is expected to play.
WR Chris Conley (Knee)
Conley appeared on the injury report on Thursday with a knee and was limited on Friday, leaving him questionable.
DT Kevin Givens (Groin)
Givens has been dealing with a groin strain dating back to Week 7, missing the last four games.
CB Renardo Green (Neck)
Green suffered a neck injury sometime in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss and was considered day-to-day on Monday.
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Knee)
Flannigan-Fowler suffered a knee injury in the third quarter on Sunday and was unable to return. He was deemed day-to-day on Monday.
ACTIVE
CB Charvarius Ward (Personal)
Ward has missed the last three games as he processes the recent death of his one-year old daughter from a heart issue. He was able to return to practice this week suggesting he will play Sunday.
G Dominick Puni (Shoulder)
Puni appears on the injury report this week with a shoulder injury after appearing in every snap on Sunday. It’s not clear the exact injury he is dealing with, but it’s significant enough to require an MRI.
INJURED RESERVE
CB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles)
Greenlaw’s practice window was opened up this week after he tore his Achilles in the Super Bowl in February. Considering his injury and recency of returning to practice, it wasn’t expected that he would return to play this week.
ACTIVE
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
TE Dalton Kincaid
OL Will Clapp
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
LB Nick Morrow
WR Keon Coleman
CB Kaiir Elam
Activated: LB Matt Milano
Call up: TE Zack Davidson
San Francisco 49ers Projected Inactives
OT Trent Williams
G Aaron Banks
DT Jordan Elliot
DE Nick Bosa
CB Deommodore Lenoir
Final Thoughts
Despite the weather, the Bills have a significant advantage from an injury perspective coming into this game. With the cold weather and Brock Purdy questionable, it wouldn’t make sense for him to play. Add in an ineffective Christian McCaffrey, no Trent Williams or Nick Bosa, the 49ers are stressing their already thin depth.
If the Bills can score early and force Brandon Allen into throwing to catch up, this can create turnovers. This could limit offensively what is necessary to put on tape down the final stretch as they prepare for the playoffs.
Finally, the poor weather will lead to reduced footing and lessen the chances of strains or major lower extremity injuries. The key for a deep Bills playoff run will be to remain healthy and get the remaining players healthy. Let’s hope the Bills are celebrating another division title as they enter December.
Top Photo Credit: Jamie Germano – USA TODAY
