The final game of the 2018 season is upon us! Another season of Bills football is nearly complete and the final pages of a storied career will be written Sunday by DT Kyle Williams. Bills Mafia knows by now how Williams announced his retirement on Friday after 13 years in the NFL. It is only fitting to see that Kyle is able to have one last home game in Buffalo, in front of his most diehard fans, and against a division rival. Williams has not only been able to survive 13 years of up and down football here in Western NY, but he has managed to produce at a high level, and been an absolutely excellent representative of what a Buffalo Bills player should be. Because of his presence on the roster over 13 years, I believe his demeanor and work ethic will rub off on some of the newer guys, helping pave the way for the great heights that the team aspires to achieve. It’s a shame that Kyle will not be able to reap the rewards of the next few seasons pending idealistic outcomes, but he will be able to look back and see the groundwork he laid for it to happen. I suspect that he will be at peace knowing he brought a unique part of the puzzle to a franchise ready for a winner. Forever in our minds will be that moment in Miami when Kyle picked up his boys as he realized his dreams of finally going to the playoffs materialized. I know I can speak for all Bills fans when I say how much we will miss his presence on the field every Sunday. Thank you Kyle Williams for giving it your all during your time here in Buffalo.
Today’s post will dive into the injuries going into the season finale. Already ruled out is WR Deonte Thompson (toe) & LB Julian Stanford (ankle). In my last article, I detailed my thoughts on each injury and why they were unlikely to play Sunday. I believe that Stanford suffered a high ankle sprain and Thompson suffered turf toe or plantar plate injury. These injuries are not season ending in themselves, but considering the timeline for recovery is greater than one week and they did not practice, their season is effectively over. If the Bills were in the playoffs, there is a chance they would stay on the active roster and attempt to heal. Instead, it appears the team decided not to place them on IR and sign two new players for one game. Both should make full recoveries for next year.
Those questionable include RB Chris Ivory (shoulder) & CB Ryan Lewis (concussion). Ivory has practiced in full this past week which is typically a good indication of playing on Sundays. In addition, HC Sean McDermott stated that Ivory was looking in good shape for playing this week. I still believe he has an AC joint sprain and will need time and rest to recover fully in the offseason.
Lewis is still working back from the concussion sustained in the loss to the Jets and as a result, missed the past 2 games. He has been limited the past 2 weeks in practice and is questionable for Sunday. It will be up to the independent neurological consultant to determine if he is cleared to play. He is truly questionable for Sunday, however, since he has not had a full practice yet, the chances of him playing appear to be slim.
I expect Ivory to suit up for the final game of the season and Lewis to miss. As for inactives, that always appears to be difficult based on personnel needs but I am surmising that QB Derek Anderson, OL Vladimir Ducasse, Thompson, Stanford, and Lewis to be inactive along with two other players that will probably be healthy scratches.
Overall, it should be a very competitive game between two clubs who have nothing to play for besides pride. I do expect the Bills to use the friendly weather at home along with motivation to win in Kyle Williams last game to close out the 2018 season.
Continue to follow Banged Up Bills on Facebook, on Twitter @BangedUpBills, on Reddit at u/BangedUpBills, and online at www.bangedupbills.com for the latest updates and news coming out of One Bills Drive. Thank you for reading and GO BILLS!!
