Bills’ Josh Allen receives major lift exactly when needed just days before pivotal Week 13 battle against the Steelers
Some exciting news coming out of One Bills Drive ahead of the Week 13 matchup.
The Buffalo Bills are banged up on both sides of the football heading into Week 13. Fortunately, the team got a huge win without playing a single snap, and it pertains to the playoff seeding. With losses to the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo controls its own destiny when it comes to playoff implications.
That’s not all, though, as the team got another win on Thanksgiving. While the team is looking to be without both starting offensive tackles in Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins, it wasn’t all bad news coming out of One Bills Drive over the holidays. Adam Schefter confirmed the news on Friday that both starting offensive tackles would, in fact, be out for Sunday.
Two big names and key pieces on both the offense and defense, in cornerback Maxwell Hairston and tight end Dalton Kincaid, are progressing well through injury and were able to participate in practice in some capacity on Thursday. Getting back a couple of key pieces, including one of quarterback Josh Allen’s best weapons, will go a long way toward the team walking out of Pittsburgh with a win.
Head coach Sean McDermott gave fans a reason to be excited about Kincaid with a cryptic update on the talented pass catcher. “We’ll see,” McDermott said. “There’s a chance,” when asked if Kincaid can suit up on Sunday.
The Bills are looking shorthanded against the Steelers
Obviously, the biggest talking point would be the potential losses to the offensive line with players like Ryan Van Demark and Tylan Grable forced to step up in a big way with the losses to Dawkins and Brown.
Dawkins was cleared to return during the loss to the Houston Texans, but after the game, he experienced some delayed symptoms that landed him on the injury report. Brown is dealing with a shoulder injury that could sideline him for multiple weeks, and both players missed practice in consecutive days.
Another unfortunate development for Buffalo is that wide receiver Josh Palmer is once again sidelined due to an ankle problem. It’s unclear whether or not this is related to his injury during the team’s loss against the Atlanta Falcons, but it puts Palmer’s availability for Sunday into question. Schefter’s report also highlighted the fact that wide receiver Curtis Samuel would be inactive for the Week 13 contest.
On Thursday, there were 13 total players who popped up on the injury report, giving fans cause for concern heading into the must-win matchup.
Even with encouraging progress from a few key names, the Bills are entering Sunday beat up and thin at several spots. That won’t change the stakes in the slightest. Buffalo can’t afford to drop another game, and however the lineup inevitably shakes out, the mission in Pittsburgh stays the same: win.
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