The Buffalo Bills really know how to open a new stadium!! They opened it in style by defeating the Detroit Lions 41-31 in an incredibly high-scoring game delivered for every person taking the game in. Josh Allen scored the first official touchdown in the stadium and accounted for five total touchdowns in a truly special performance.
Despite all the excitement of the new stadium and win, there were several injuries, with most coming in the first half and several that could have a multi-week impact.
Read below for all the latest injuries coming out of Thursday’s win and future outlook.
In-Game Injuries
DT Ed Oliver (Right Hip)
Before kickoff, Ed Oliver was a surprise inactive, ruled out with a hip injury. This occurred in warmups, which was concerning, knowing how important he is to the middle of the defense. Amazingly, the Amazon broadcast caught Oliver warming up, going through a normal warm-up routine.
He comes out of his stance, pushing off the right and then transitioning to his left before taking several more steps and pulling up. He appeared to motion to his right hip before the camera cut away. On video, this looks as though this is a hip flexor strain. What’s notable is that this happened just minutes before inactives were due. The team made the smart choice to sit him out to avoid exacerbating any potential further issues as well. While this was designated as a hip, this could be a groin strain as well, with further testing.
With the mini-bye, the team may avoid having him miss multiple games due to the injury. According to my injury database at Spartera, Bills players with a hip designation miss on average .83 games if they are designated as questionable or doubtful. I did put a stat out after the injury news dropped about Oliver that Bills players miss .4 games, which was true, but this was looking at every hip designation, many without a game-day designation, which skewed the numbers. As a result of that number, I did have to go rework those formulas to ensure accuracy.
Bills players with a hip injury spend 1.62 weeks on the report, which means Oliver will be on the injury report next week, but we need to see how he moves before we can say for sure whether he plays in Week 3. I’m hopeful, but we need more information. It’s also worth noting that he missed two weeks of practice during the preseason with an undisclosed injury that could have potentially put him at greater risk for this injury, but there is no confirmation that the issues are related.
LB Greg Rousseau (Right Knee)
Per the broadcast, Rousseau was having his right knee looked at while on the sidelines in the first quarter and in discomfort. I went back and looked at the broadcast and was unable to find anything notable or when he exited. He was able to return the next series and continue playing throughout the game, indicating that this was more of a minor issue. When the All-22 video comes out, we will get further clarification on this issue.
WR DJ Moore (Left Shoulder/Stinger)
The biggest injury of the night was when DJ Moore attempted to haul in a touchdown pass with 3:42 left in the second quarter but landed very hard on his left shoulder.
He immediately rolled to his back and grabbed at his collarbone before training staff came out to assess him. He was able to walk off under his own power and then eventually to the locker room for further assessment.
He was initially questionable with a shoulder/stinger following the injury before he was later ruled out in the second half, spiking fears of a long-term injury. By video, this appears to be an AC joint sprain, which is unfortunately common. This is the joint where the acromion and distal end of the clavicle meet and allow for stability of the shoulder girdle necessary for arm movements. When this is sprained, overhead movements become difficult, and a loss of power is noticed in all planes of motion. There is sometimes a visible deformity where there is a separation, and the severity and type dictate the return-to-play timeline.
There are six different Rockwood classifications of AC joint sprains with a wide variety of timelines. Rockwood I has players missing a mean average of 7.3 days, Rockwood II has 10.3 days, Rockwood III is 26.4 days, and Rockwood IV-VI sees them miss 35 days. Basically, the higher the severity, the more time is missed. Keep in mind, the higher the severity, the greater the chances are for surgery. Right now, I don’t anticipate that Moore will require surgery, though we have seen this with Colts QB Anthony Richardson, so it’s possible.
There is also the possibility that Moore suffered a collarbone fracture, which could still lead to a return later in the season with surgery, but he would be looking at a two-to-three-month recovery with an IR stint.
He also did have a stinger, which is notable considering where the brachial plexus sits in relation to the shoulder.
Compression to the area can cause immediate pain, numbness, and tingling that can quickly wear off but still cause a lot of short-term discomfort.
Unfortunately, head coach Joe Brady didn’t offer any extra updates, which means the information will have to either come from the team or insiders like Adam Schefter or Ian Rapoport. This could be an injury that keeps him out for one week or multiple. It’s hard to say right now until we get more information. The fact that he didn’t have the arm supported as he walked off the field suggests more AC joint injury than a collarbone fracture.
Additionally, I did see this from Ty Dunne of GoLong TD, the body language does speak volumes at times.
WR Keon Coleman (Right Ankle)
Coleman briefly went down with a right ankle injury that, by video, appeared to be a garden-variety low ankle sprain. This occurred with 1:27 left in the second quarter. He got off the field quickly; the broadcast noted that he was getting taped up and immediately returned.
He will be feeling the effects of this injury tomorrow, and it’s worth highlighting that this is the same side that he suffered his foot/toe injury against the Carolina Panthers a month ago. That saw him spend some time in a walking boot and miss some time. With the mini-bye, I expect that Coleman should be ready to go for Week 3, but if we get reports that the ankle is more injured than initially reported, then I could see him missing a game to get right.
CB Dee Alford (Undisclosed)
Alford was seen walking to the locker room with training staff at the half for an undisclosed issue.
Looking back at the film, nothing stood out but it is often difficult to see secondary injuries during the broadcast view which means All-22 will come in handy here. This will be an injury I have to dig into more much like the Rousseau injury to get additional details. His last play appeared to be 2:03 left in the second quarter. Fortunately, he returned for the second half and finished the game.
DE Javon Solomon (Neck/Stinger)
Solomon was the only injury of the second half when he stayed down for several moments after his head collided with a teammate trying to tackle Lions QB Jared Goff.
Fortunately, after several moments of being down, he was able to get up and jog off the field. I don’t recall him finishing the game, but considering it was so late, they probably held him out. This may have been more of a stinger or even a whiplash injury, but he appears to have avoided a major issue. He could likely appear on the injury report next week with a neck designation but should be alright.
Other Observations
RB Ty Johnson (Right Hamstring)
Johnson sat out once again for the second week in a row as he continues to work his way back from his hamstring strain. He looked excellent this week from what I could see, but he may not have the endurance or power quite yet to safely return without risking re-injury. I certainly got this one wrong, and in this line of “work,” you’ve got to hold yourself accountable. We’ll see what Week 3 looks like.
Final Thoughts
The Bills got the win but may be without DJ Moore for an unknown timeframe. I believe he avoided a fracture, but they may want to do extra imaging, including a CT scan, to ensure that there are no slight fractures in the area. We have to wait and see what the reports come back for Moore and see what other news there is for Ed Oliver’s availability come Week 3.
We will very likely get some surprise injuries when the next injury report comes out on Wednesday next week, but the Bills have several extra days to recover as they head into the weekend 2-0. Make sure to check back for all the latest news and updates coming out of One Bills Drive.
Top Photo Credit: Prime Video
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