Buffalo Bills Injury Report: Week 4 vs New England Patriots
The Buffalo Bills Injury Report is back for Week 4 as the Buffalo Bills (3-0) return to Highmark Stadium Sunday with a chance to put some serious distance between themselves and the rest of the AFC East. The New England Patriots (1-2) are coming to town, and things are anything but calm in Foxborough. New England is stumbling out of the gate while Buffalo has looked like one of the NFL’s best teams.
For Joe Brady, this one feels a little personal. Back at the NFL Annual League Meeting, Mike Vrabel was caught crumpling up Brady’s cardboard nameplate. Not exactly a warm welcome. That was around the same time reports surfaced about Vrabel’s alleged relationship with NFL insider Diana Russini. Now Vrabel and Drake Maye are reportedly at odds, Maye has a newly listed shoulder injury, and the Patriots are 1-2. Brady gets his shot at revenge Sunday. Maybe Bakemas disappearing from Foxborough and being replaced by sandwich and wrap reviews has something to do with it. Either way, these Nutmeggers have a lot going on.
The biggest scare coming out of last week was Josh Allen, who took a helmet to the side of his left knee against the Chargers and was limping after the game. Fast forward to this week and Allen is not only healthy, he isn’t even on the Buffalo Bills Injury Report. That’s obviously a huge development for Buffalo. The bigger concern is at cornerback, where Christian Benford is questionable after missing practice all week. Ray Davis is also questionable, while T.J. Sanders is doubtful. Allen appears to have dodged the biggest bullet, but Benford’s status could be the biggest question facing the Bills heading into Sunday.
The Patriots are dealing with a much different situation. New England has already lost WR A.J. Brown, OG Mike Onwenu and his backup OG Greg Van Roten to IR, leaving some serious holes up front. It gets worse Sunday with CB Christian Gonzalez and DT Christian Barmore both OUT. A handful of other starters are questionable, including RT Morgan Moses, LB Dre’Mont Jones, LB Christian Elliss, S Craig Woodson and FB Reggie Gilliam. Even QB Drake Maye is on the report with a shoulder injury, although he was a full participant all week. At 1-2, the Patriots are already stumbling, and now they’re walking into Orchard Park with holes all over the roster.
JOSH ALLEN, QB (Not Listed)
Allen isn’t on the Buffalo Bills Injury Report, but what happened last Sunday is still worth mentioning. Midway through the fourth quarter against the Chargers, Allen appeared to take a helmet to the outside of his left knee. He finished the game, but was seen with a mild limp leaving the field and again in the locker room afterward. Any concern appears to have been put to bed this week. Allen practiced without issue and was not listed on the injury report. For now, this looks like a non issue, but it was certainly worth keeping an eye on after last week’s game.
QUESTIONABLE
Christian Benford, CB (Toe)
Benford exited last week’s game with a toe injury and hasn’t practiced at all this week. Despite being a DNP all three days, the Bills still listed him as Questionable, which feels like a bit of a stretch. Benford dealt with a toe injury last season after suffering it in practice and missed just one game. Toe injuries can be tricky, with players averaging around four weeks to return depending on the severity, while mild cases can sometimes settle down in one to two weeks. Given the lack of practice this week, Sunday feels like a tall ask for Benford, but the Questionable designation leaves the door open. I would expect him back next week.
Ray Davis, RB (Hamstring)
The Ray Davis situation is an interesting one. On September 28, Joe Brady said he wanted to get Davis more involved, which is notable considering Davis has only one carry this season. Davis wasn’t on the initial injury report this week, then suddenly appeared with a hamstring designation despite being a full participant that day. He was limited Friday and is now listed as Questionable. That progression is certainly unusual. There have also been rumblings that Davis may not be thrilled with his current role, which makes you wonder if there is more happening behind the scenes. With the recent Joey Porter Jr. situation in Dallas serving as a reminder that NFL injury designations can sometimes precede roster moves, it’s fair to at least wonder if the Bills’ front office is exploring its options with Davis. For now, though, the only thing we know for sure is that a player who wasn’t on the report suddenly has a hamstring injury and a Questionable designation.
DOUBTFUL
T.J. Sanders, DL (Illness/Appendectomy)
Sanders is doubtful after missing last week following an emergency appendectomy. He was able to get back on the field in a limited fashion Thursday and Friday, which is encouraging, but Sunday would be just 12 days removed from surgery. Sanders has already missed three games this season, making this a bit of a rocky start. He missed the first two games after a flare up of the knee he had surgery on last year, then the appendix sidelined him last week. There are examples of defensive linemen returning around 12 days after an appendectomy, including Anthony Hargrove in 2011 and Mario Williams in 2015. Still, with Buffalo sitting at 3-0, this feels like a situation where the Bills would be wise to pump the brakes and give Sanders one more week to recover.
ALSO
DJ Moore, WR (Shoulder)
Moore suffered an AC joint sprain in Week 2 and was knocked out of the game. He returned last week and played 42 snaps (64%), down a bit from his Week 1 workload of 44 snaps (76%), but it didn’t appear to affect him much. Moore was limited all week this week, likely to avoid unnecessary hits to the shoulder. He will be good to go Sunday.
Keon Coleman, WR (Ankle)
Coleman had what appeared to be a low ankle sprain in Week 2, but he was able to finish the game. He then went DNP, DNP, Limited leading into Week 3 against the Chargers, but still played. The Bills took it a little easier on him again this week with DNP, Limited, Limited. That is actually a step in the right direction from last week and should bode well heading into Sunday.
Coleman played 32 snaps (48%) against the Chargers, down from the 55 snaps (74%) he played in Week 2, although that heavier Week 2 workload was partly because DJ Moore was knocked out of the game. His Week 3 workload was much more in line with Week 1, when he played 29 snaps (50%). Everything appears to be trending fine with Coleman.
Deone Walker, DL (Quad)
Walker hit the blue tent during Week 3 but returned to the game, and the team never specified exactly what happened. He was then listed with a quad designation this week, going Limited, Full, Full in practice. Based on the quick return in Week 3 and his progression this week, this doesn’t look like a strain. A quad contusion seems much more likely.
His workload also doesn’t suggest the injury has been limiting him. Walker played 51 snaps (65%) in Week 1, 44 (68%) in Week 2 and 48 (70%) in Week 3. That Week 3 workload was actually his highest snap percentage of the season. Everything is trending in the right direction, and Walker is good to go.
ThighDoctor Take
The Buffalo Bills Injury Report heading into Sunday is pretty straightforward. I expect Christian Benford to be OUT after missing all three practices this week. That would be the biggest blow for Buffalo, especially against a Patriots team that will need every advantage it can get.
New England is much more banged up. Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore are already OUT, while several other starters are Questionable or on the IR. The Patriots are walking into Orchard Park with some pretty significant holes, and Mike Vrabel already has enough drama surrounding him without another injury report making his week harder.
The Ray Davis situation is also worth monitoring. A player who wasn’t initially on the report suddenly showed up with a hamstring designation and is now Questionable. There could be nothing more to it, but the timing is certainly interesting.
All things considered, the Buffalo Bills Injury Report leaves Buffalo with one major concern, while New England appears to be dealing with problems all over the roster.
