Bills rule out several players ahead of divisional round vs. Chiefs
No matter how you dice it, the Buffalo Bills are banged up ahead of their divisional round tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bills HC Sean McDermott ruled out four players on Friday, also providing a slew of updates on several other players who are dealing with injuries. It's never ideal to be missing players […]
No matter how you dice it, the Buffalo Bills are banged up ahead of their divisional round tilt against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bills HC Sean McDermott ruled out four players on Friday, also providing a slew of updates on several other players who are dealing with injuries. It's never ideal to be missing players ahead of a pivotal matchup, but that's the nature of the NFL at this point of the year.
At least one of the players ruled out should be of major concern to Bills Mafia.
Bills WR Gabe Davis among those ruled out of divisional round:
McDermott ruled out four players including Bills' No. 2 wideout Gabe Davis. The last time these two teams faced off in the divisional round of the playoffs, Davis was practically unguardable. He caught eight passes on 10 targets for 201 yards and a whopping four touchdown grabs. It's not the first time that Davis has given Kansas City struggles either.
The other players ruled out include:
- CB Christian Benford
- S Taylor Rapp
- LB Baylon Spector
Rapp and Spector have been key depth, but Benford has emerged as one of the Bills' top cornerbacks this season, starting on defense over 2022 first-round draft pick Kaiir Elam. He played 100% of the defensive snaps in Week 14 against the Chiefs.
Updates on Stefon Diggs, Terrel Bernard, Taron Johnson, and Sam Martin:
McDermott said everyone outside of those players he ruled out has a chance to play on Sunday night, but some might have a greater chance to play than others.
Slot corner Taron Johnson remains in concussion protocol, but he could clear the protocol in time to play.
Starting LB Terrel Bernard (ankle) remains a non-participant in practice for the third consecutive day. His availability will all depend on how things trend ahead of the divisional round game, but not practicing all week is never a good sign.
Punter/holder Sam Martin has a chance to play, but they've got a solid backup in Matt Haack, who was recently signed to the practice squad.
Perhaps the most concerning injury of all is WR Stefon Diggs, who was added to the injury report on Thursday with a foot injury. McDermott said that the injury occurred during the wild-card round game against the Steelers, but intensified later in the week. He'll likely play on Sunday, but could the foot injury limit him in some way? It's certainly possible.
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