Buffalo Bills Injury Report: Week 17 vs Philadelphia Eagles
Week 17 brings a cold, rainy, emotionally loaded matchup to Orchard Park as the Buffalo Bills (11–4) host the Philadelphia Eagles (10–5) in what could be the second-to-last home game ever at Highmark Stadium. However, once again, the Buffalo Bills injury report is front and center. Buffalo enters on a four-game winning streak after barely escaping Cleveland, still trailing the AFC East by a game and needing both wins and a little help. Ideally the kind of slip-up the Patriots provide as reliably as Stefon Diggs provides offseason drama. The headline this week is Josh Allen’s lingering foot injury, with Bills fans hoping Hailee Steinfeld is somewhere rubbing that thing back to life, especially since any actual Josh Allen foot pics have been mysteriously absent. Despite the weather and the weight of the moment, the Bills are still battling a long list of injuries with multiple starters out once again, while the Eagles arrive healthier but still missing some important pieces. As the stadium era winds down and playoff stakes ramp up, this matchup may hinge on which roster weathers its injury issues best.
The Buffalo Bills injury report for Week 17 once again shapes the storyline as Buffalo enters a critical late-season showdown with four players ruled OUT: DT DaQuan Jones, S Jordan Poyer, K Matt Prater, and DT Jordan Phillips. The Bills also list two key offensive weapons, tight ends Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, as QUESTIONABLE, adding more uncertainty to an already thinned-out roster. The headline, however, is that Josh Allen will play despite battling a foot injury, a situation that has Bills fans monitoring every step he takes this week. Beyond the active report, Buffalo is still carrying a deep injured reserve list featuring several major contributors, including DT Ed Oliver, DE Michael Hoecht, WR Curtis Samuel, DE Landon Jackson, S Damar Hamlin, DT DeWayne Carter, CB Dorian Strong, K Tyler Bass, OT Chase Lundt, and S Taylor Rapp. As the postseason race tightens, the sheer volume of injuries underscores just how much weight Allen and the remaining starters are carrying into one of the season’s most pivotal matchups.
The Philadelphia Eagles enter Week 17 in far better shape than Buffalo, but their injury sheet still carries a few significant absences heading into Sunday. Philadelphia has ruled two starters OUT, linebacker Nakobe Dean and All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson. Backup tackle Cameron Williams is listed as QUESTIONABLE, leaving the Eagles thin at the edges. While their active injury report is relatively light, the Eagles’ injured reserve list still includes notable playmaker DE Azeez Ojulari, whose absence continues to limit their pass-rush depth. Even healthier than the Bills, Philadelphia still enters this matchup with enough key injuries to influence game-planning on both sides of the ball.
The Franchise
QB Josh Allen – Foot
Allen headlines the Buffalo Bills injury report after injuring his right foot late in the second quarter last week while trying to evade a sack just before halftime. He walked to the locker room early but never missed a snap, and with X-rays coming back negative, he was able to finish the game without a noticeable drop-off in production.
The injury aligns with a mild midfoot sprain, a diagnosis Bills fans have seen before. Allen suffered a similar sprain in the 2021 overtime loss to Tom Brady’s Buccaneers, appearing in a walking boot after that game but never missing time. Unlike 2021, he was not in a boot this time around, a strong indicator that this version is even less severe.
In the NFL, low-grade midfoot sprains can return within a week, but a grade 2 sprain often requires up to five weeks, a timeline that becomes especially relevant with the playoffs just two weeks away (Osbahr et al.). Buffalo clearly dodged a bullet here, but the medical staff will have to be cautious: midfoot injuries can flare when pivoting, pushing off, or absorbing contact, all movements central to Allen’s style of play. Expect him to suit up and compete at a high level, but his ability to plant and drive off that right foot will be something to monitor closely in the short term.
OUT
S Jordan Poyer – Hamstring
Poyer picked up a hamstring injury late in last week’s game and never returned. He was a DNP across all three practices, making his Week 17 status an easy call: he’s out. Hamstring strains average about 13 days before a return to play, so there’s no surprise he won’t suit up (Strive). The real question is whether the Bills even consider playing him in Week 18 or simply shut him down until the postseason, which is likely the smarter move given his workload and importance to the defense.
DT DaQuan Jones – Calf
Jones had been dealing with a lingering calf issue and saw a setback this week. He managed 60% of snaps last week but has been a DNP all week, leading to an easy decision: he’s out for Week 17. With a history of soft tissue injuries, including the same calf that already cost him three games this season, the Bills may be wise to hold him out until the playoffs to keep him healthy for the postseason push.
K Matt Prater – Right Quad
Prater misses a second consecutive game with his right quad strain, originally sustained on the final kickoff of Week 15 against the Patriots. As his kicking leg is affected, recovery remains critical. Quad strains typically need 2–4 weeks, with rectus femoris involvement pushing it closer to 25 days (Brophy RH et al). Buffalo will continue to rely on practice squad kicker Michael Badgley for the remainder of the regular season, while Prater’s playoff availability remains TBD.
DT Jordan Phillips – Ankle
Phillips will miss a second straight week after going DNP all week. Coach McDermott notes he’s improving, but the suspected high ankle sprain remains a week-to-week concern. Phillips had been contributing a solid 35.6% of defensive snaps in recent weeks, so his absence continues to leave a noticeable gap along the Buffalo defensive line.
QUESTIONABLE
TE Dalton Kincaid – Knee
Kincaid remains a controlled presence on the Buffalo Bills injury report, continuing to navigate a left knee that had maybe a “small setback”. This is the same knee that previously required PCL rehab last year, and he injured it again while rehabbing his right hamstring. Last week he logged just 19 offensive snaps, his third-lowest of the season, as the team carefully throttled his workload. Last week, his practice participation followed a DNP-DNP-Limited pattern, and he’s mirrored that again this week, providing limited optimism that he will play a similar role in Week 17. Even if active, Buffalo is expected to maintain a cautious snap count to preserve him for the playoffs.
TE Dawson Knox – Knee
Knox’s appearance on the Buffalo Bills injury report was a bit of a surprise, and the situation has lingered through the week. The exact details of the knee issue remain unclear, but his practice participation followed a DNP-DNP-Limited pattern, leaving his status for Sunday uncertain. He could be a true game-time decision, and with practice squad tight end Keleki Latu out of call-ups, the Bills may either push Knox into action or lean more heavily on hybrid fullback Reggie Gilliam to fill the tight end role.
ALSO LISTED (ACTIVE)
Several Bills landed on the injury report but are expected to suit up Sunday. Cole Bishop (ribs), Joey Bosa (hamstring), Ray Davis (knee), Taron Johnson (quad), Cam Lewis (hamstring), and Shaq Thompson (neck) all practiced and will be available, providing Buffalo with key rotational depth as the team navigates the final stretch of the regular season and prepares for the playoffs.
