Buffalo Bills suffer injury they can hardly afford in opening play of AFC divisional playoff game vs. Denver Broncos
The Buffalo Bills lost LB Dorian Williams to a neck injury on the opening play of the game.
The Buffalo Bills suffered an injury that they could hardly afford on the opening play of the AFC Divisional Round playoff matchup with the Denver Broncos.
The Bills won the coin toss and deferred, giving Broncos QB Bo Nix and the Denver offense the ball first. On the opening kickoff, Broncos return specialist and wide receiver Marvin Mims collided violently with Buffalo LB Dorian Williams.
The play featured helmet-to-helmet contact, leaving both Mims and Williams dazed and confused. Williams stayed down on the ground and was quickly attended to by the Bills’ training staff after teammates frantically began waving them over. He was ultimately helped off the field under his own power, without needing a stretcher or anything else, which was a legitimate concern after the initial play. Mims, likewise, was able to walk off the field under his own power — and he was able to return to the game later on Denver’s opening drive.
Williams reportedly walked out of the blue medical tent and was carted to the locker room. That’s typically a strong indicator that a player will wind up ruled out. The Bills officially ruled him out for the remainder of the game with a neck injury. The good news is that he gave the thumbs up to some Bills fans from the cart on his way to the locker room.
CBS Sports sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson later revealed that Williams had neck imaging and was transported to a local Denver hospital by ambulance. We’ll keep you posted on his status as soon as we have more information.
Injury to LB Dorian Williams leaves the Bills dangerously depleted at the linebacker position
The Bills were already without starting LB Terrell Bernard, who was questionable heading into the game with an injury. An injury to Williams leaves Buffalo with just four healthy linebackers on the roster: Matt Milano, Shaq Thompson, Baylan Spector, and Joe Andreessen.
The injury to Williams leaves that group quite lean, and another injury would leave it dangerously thin. It’s the kind of concerning depth that then constricts the defensive looks you might be able to call during the game. It’ll be a challenge that Sean McDermott and company will have to overcome, but they’ve dealt with their fair share of injuries already this season. This is one they should be prepared for.
Buffalo Bills News
Bills’ Keon Coleman sends firm message before must win Broncos matchup and embraces the moment without overcomplicating it
Keon Coleman opened up about facing the Denver Broncos ahead of divisional round.
