One of the biggest matchups of the playoffs is scheduled for Sunday when the Buffalo Bills host the Baltimore Ravens at 6:30 pm in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. The winner earns the right to play in the AFC Championship game while the loser goes home, ending their season. These two teams have not necessarily been on a collision course in the playoffs like we have seen with the Bills and Chiefs, but once the playoff field was set, it was quickly apparent that this was a likely matchup on the path to the Super Bowl.
This game has it all, two superstar quarterbacks vying for MVP, overall healthy rosters with several exceptions, talent on both sides of the ball, and a playoff atmosphere. This is the type of stuff that network executives dream up when looking at the playoff field every year and they get their wish.
Read below regarding both teams’ injuries and projected inactive and final thoughts.
Buffalo Bills Injury Report
QUESTIONABLE
RB Ray Davis (Concussion)
As seen above, Davis got rocked while attempting to catch the football midway through the third quarter and immediately went into the locker room, diagnosed with a concussion.
Despite the scary hit, he was able to return to practice on Wednesday and participate in football drills placing him in Stage 4 according to Chris Brown.
On Thursday, he was in a red non-contact jersey and performing more football specific drills.
He remained in the red non-contact jersey on Friday and is officially questionable. There have been too many instances where players have been limited all week and questionable but ultimately cleared while others were questionable and ruled out. Two instances last year were Dalton Kincaid was questionable and was ruled out while Terrel Bernard was questionable and played. Both wore the red non-contact jerseys during the week. Bernard had an extra day to recover but still had the same process to go through. Each concussion is unique and past results do not always guarantee future outcomes in this case.
I suspect that there is some gamesmanship here and he will be cleared by the independent neurologist on Saturday. However, if he is not, then so be it. The team may still elevate Frank Gore Jr as a precaution and make him inactive.
ACTIVE
OL Alec Anderson (Left Calf)
Anderson was one of the casualties coming out of Sunday’s win as he dealt with what looked to be a left calf injury as seen above. He was forced to leave the game late in the second quarter before returning shortly into the third quarter and finished the game.
On Monday, he was deemed day-to-day as expected dealing with a soft tissue injury.
Looking back at the injury data dating back to 2017, any skill position players on offense or defense (WR, TE, S) missed the next game. Offensive lineman really haven’t suffered calf injuries with the exception of Jon Feliciano who went to injured reserve back in 2021.
This leaves defensive tackles or defensive ends who typically missed one game following the injury. However, defensive tackles and ends are typically driving forward and up on their toes to push the pocket. Offensive lineman are pushing as well but more trying to anchor in place and block. The one wrinkle that adds to Anderson’s availability is his role as the jumbo tight end. Having to run more initially complicated his availability.
He was seen with tape on his left calf in practice on Thursday which confirmed the side and in available video, he was moving around pretty well.
The one upside is that he got in limited practices all week but a full practice on Friday, avoiding a designation. He does have a higher chance to re-injure the area but the Bills have been good with not having soft tissue injuries linger by trying to play through them too soon.
CB Christian Benford (Back)
Benford is a new addition to the injury report this week with a back issue. It’s not clear what the exact issue is and he has not been on the injury report often this season other than a wrist issue midseason. He was able to practice in full all week and has no designation.
KR Brandon Codrington (Left Hamstring)
Codrington missed last week’s game due to a left hamstring strain originally suffered on the final kickoff return against the New England Patriots in Week 18. He was improving all week and was initially questionable before being declared inactive when game-day rosters were released 90 minutes prior to kickoff.
He had stated that he felt good as the week progressed but the team ultimately held him out. Most of the time players miss one game due to a hamstring strain and this continues to be the rule rather than the exception. He was able to practice in full all week and will return to play on Sunday.
WR Amari Cooper (Back)
Cooper is still working through his Week 17 injury where he injured his tailbone when he fell directly onto the area when he caught a touchdown catch in the third quarter. He was able to practice in full and only missed Week 18 due to a personal matter.
CB Taron Johnson (Neck)
Johnson was forced to leave the game following the hit he sustained in the clip above. The sudden compression of all the cervical vertebrae potentially caused a stinger which would have led to the neck pain but more likely, all the muscles, ligaments, and nerves were suddenly stretched and the resulting response is painful range of motion and soreness. Despite practicing in full all week, Johnson is still likely limited with the neck discomfort but has no designations.
TE Dalton Kincaid (Left Knee)
Kincaid is still working through his left PCL sprain suffered back in Week 10 against the Indianapolis Colts. He has worn a hinged knee brace since then and can perform when called upon.
DB Cam Lewis (Right Shoulder/Neck)
Lewis is on the injury report still for his right shoulder injury originally sustained against the New England Patriots in Week 16. He missed the following game before returning to play in Week 18. He added a neck injury to his issues when he hit the Broncos player going out of bounds as seen in the clip below.
He was assessed for a concussion after the hit but was cleared to return and finish the game. When he hit, his head snapped violently to the left which may have caused some irritation in the facets of the vertebrae as they hit together. He was able to practice in full all week but may be dealing with some lingering soreness.
LB Matt Milano (Left Biceps)
Milano still requires rehab for his distal left biceps repair that forced him to miss most of the season. He still requires the use of a hinged elbow brace and has continued to round into form every week, slowly showing flashes of his pre-injury form from the biceps injury and tibial plateau fracture last season.
TE Quintin Morris (Groin)
Morris is back on the injury report after getting removed from the report last week. He has been battling a right shoulder injury all season that dates back to the preseason and will likely require surgery to repair the labrum. He originally suffered a groin strain back in Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers and played through the injury but appeared to tweak it on Sunday. Despite all the injuries, he still practiced in full and will play Sunday.
DE Greg Rousseau (Finger)
Rousseau is a new addition to the injury report this week with a finger issue. Looking back at his film from Sunday, there weren’t any instances where he was injured favoring a hand, or even examining the area. Whether the injury happened in the game or practice, this is a relatively minor injury even for a defensive end which means he will still be able to perform come Sunday. The only issues he may have is grasping and hand fighting depending on the location of the finger and type of injury.
LB Dorian Williams (Left Elbow)
Williams is still working through a left elbow injury originally sustained against the Detroit Lions back in Week 15. He has not missed any games and has been forced to wear the hinged elbow brace for support. At the time, I had thought this was a hyperextended elbow but its possible he may have also suffered a UCL sprain which is why the brace continues to be used.
Baltimore Ravens Injury Report
DOUBTFUL
WR Zay Flowers (Right Knee)
Flowers missed last week’s Wild Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers after suffering a right knee injury in the Week 18 win over the Cleveland Browns. Multiple other medical professionals have stated this but fellow PT Jeff Mueller noted that Flowers suffered an LCL sprain when his foot got caught in the air as he fell as seen below.
The lateral collateral ligament, or LCL, is part of the posterolateral corner of the knee and provides lateral support to the outside portion of the knee. The LCL stabilizes varus forces or when the knee is pushed outward as though someone is bow-legged.
While most LCL injuries occur when a blow occurs to the front and inside portion of the knee, Flowers suffered his injury when a Browns player ran into his leg and his foot hit his teammate’s leg, placing the varus force through the knee. This is a rare injury with isolated cases making up two percent of knee injuries. Oftentimes, we see this injury as part of multiligament knee injuries or with posterolateral corner injuries such as the case with Chiefs WR Rashee Rice earlier this season.
Believe it or not, there is research and several cases of LCL sprains that allow for a comparison for Flowers to return to play. Non-operative cases in the NFL, four out of five players missed an average of 10 days before returning to play. This fits with the two cases that were available with Washington Redskins QB Robert Griffin III and Tennessee Titans WR Treylon Burks.
RG3 missed one game during his rookie year when he took a direct shot to the right knee. He returned to play after missing one game and later suffered a right ACL, LCL, and meniscus tear in the playoffs. Burks suffered an LCL sprain during training camp and missed three weeks of practice before returning in Week 1, securing two receptions for 18 yards in a 16-15 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
While the RG3 case was extreme and the knee instability led to further damage, Burks is the more expected outcome for Flowers. Despite having the time to rehab to return within the timeframe research indicates, it may not be enough. If he does attempt to play, he will likely have to wear a hinged knee brace to protect the knee and provide some stability. Due to the sprain, he will have difficulty with acceleration off the line of scrimmage, will have difficulty jumping for contested catches, and cannot cut to the right effectively without a strong push from the left leg.
He may be limited to routes to his left and short routes to where he can get to his spot and catch the ball. He will lack much of the elusiveness necessary to play at a high level if he even does play. Considering he didn’t practice all week, it’s unlikely this scenario will come to fruition. If he is somehow active, he won’t be effective.
INJURED RESERVE
WR Deonte Harty (Knee)
Harty is currently practicing after having his practice window opened last week following his placement on injured in Week 6. According to reports, this was a knee injury that was lingering for some time which is why the injury was not apparent on film. He was on the injury report ahead of Week 5 with a questionable designation after he was added to the injury report that Friday. He was able to practice the next week in full and was questionable before they decided to shut him down.
Given that he has had the time off necessary to recover and he practiced in full all week, I would have expected that he is activated this week despite the questionable designation and plays with the main focus on special teams. With that much time off and only one responsibility, he could still be dangerous as a fresh body. However, it has been reported that he still needs more time to ramp up which means he may not ultimately play.
Buffalo Bills Projected Inactives
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio
CB Kaiir Elam
QB Mike White
DT DeWayne Carter
OT Ryan Van Demark
Call Ups: RB Frank Gore Jr, OL Will Clapp
Baltimore Ravens Projected Inactives
WR Zay Flowers
FS Beau Brade
RB Rasheen Ali
FS Marcus Williams
OLB Adisa Isaac
C Nick Samac
WR Keith Kirkwood
Final Thoughts
This is going to be one electric game either from back and forth scoring or a defensive struggle. This game will come down to who has less turnovers and quite possibly who has the ball last. The Bills were without Taron Johnson, Matt Milano, Von Miller, Terrel Bernard, and Amari Cooper last time. They lost Taylor Rapp midway through the game and Khalil Shakir suffered his ankle injury which forced him to miss the following week. This is a different team than what the Ravens saw last time but the Ravens have also evolved as they were missing OL Andrew Voorhees and DT Michael Pierce in the trenches last time. Center Tyler Lindenbaum was nursing a knee injury at the time as well.
Both teams are pretty healthy with the slight advantage going to the Bills only because Zay Flowers is injured. While that lessens the weapons available to Lamar Jackson, it doesn’t make them significant less dangerous. The Bills are locked in and have a strong chance to win this game. This may be one of the best games of the playoffs regardless of division.
Top Photo Credit: JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
