The season is finally over. The Bills have finished 6-10 with a exciting win over the Miami Dolphins 42-17 and lots of hope going into the 2019 season. QB Josh Allen was recently named AFC Offensive player of the week, the first time a Buffalo QB has been given this honor since QB Drew Bledsoe in 2002. The front office has stability moving into the offseason with both coach and GM in place with a solid game plan stacked with draft picks and cap money to contend with a favorable schedule next year. The only downside to the season ending is the retirement of DT Kyle Williams. Sunday’s win marked the last game for him in a Buffalo uniform and he made the most of it. He was able to get in on several offensive plays including a reception and continued to be a force up front until his curtain call late in the 4th quarter. To make his retirement even more memorable, he proceeded to circle the entire stadium, giving thanks to everyone before entering the end zone tunnel one last time. While he didn’t win a Super Bowl or have the team accolades that veteran players can accumulate over time, he still was able to lay the foundation for potentially greater success in the coming seasons. Personally as a fan, I am happy to have seen him give everything he had in a Bills uniform and leave on his own terms.
With all the positivity coming out of that season finale win, the only injury noted on Sunday was CB Tre’Davious White (head). He suffered this injury with 1 minute left in the 2nd quarter during a collision with a Dolphins offensive player. This was right before the 2nd scoring play for the Dolphins which allowed them to even it up going into halftime. The Bills announced that White was later downgraded to out with a head injury which is typically reserved for concussion protocol. It was not announced that he suffered a concussion but as it was the season finale, there was no purpose to re-insert him back in the game with 2 quarters left. If White was indeed diagnosed with a concussion, this would be his 2nd documented NFL concussion after last season’s hit by Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Regardless, the season is over; White will be able to go through the concussion protocol if needed and recover during the offseason with no long term concerns.
Overall, it was another decent year for injuries. We did lose a lot of man games due to injury with several starters lost late in the season, but major injuries such as ACL’s, Achilles, Bicep tears, and pectoral tears which could affect next season continued to avoid the Bills and allowed the team to grow further. It is expected to see the roster turn over considerably with a host of draft picks & free agents brought in along with several veterans moving on due to ineffective play or team unfriendly contracts. The 2019 Bills will come out guns blazing and begin to make some noise!
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