Bills’ risky decision with Matt Milano pays off in a big way heading into Week 14 vs Rams
Matt Milano is a franchise cornerstone for the Buffalo Bills. After missing most of the 2023 season with a MCL tear and fracture in his leg, the hope was for a fully healthy Milano to return to his role as the stud weakside linebacker that the Bills know him to be in 2024. Then, in […]
Matt Milano is a franchise cornerstone for the Buffalo Bills. After missing most of the 2023 season with a MCL tear and fracture in his leg, the hope was for a fully healthy Milano to return to his role as the stud weakside linebacker that the Bills know him to be in 2024. Then, in training camp, Milano suffered a freak injury, tearing his bicep while hitting a pad in practice.
It was a crushing blow. Head coach Sean McDermott has talked repeatedly since that injury about how much Milano has had to go through to rehab and recover from consecutive major injuries.
In his place, the Bills were able to lean on Dorian Williams, who played admirably as a fixture of the defense through the first 11 games of the season.
Last weekend, in Buffalo's Week 13 meeting with the San Francisco 49ers in heavy snowy conditions in Orchard Park on Sunday Night Football, Milano made his return. In doing so, McDermott made a risky gamble that paid off.
All week, leading up to the game, McDermott was noncommittal about the status of Milano, and said that if and when Milano, as well as other injured players, return, they would almost certainly be on a pitch count to ease them back into playing shape.
Milano then proceeded to play every snap of the game on defense where his position was utilized, only coming off the field in Dime packages where he was replaced by a defensive back. Even in a 35-10 lopsided victory that saw quarterback Josh Allen get pulled in the fourth quarter so as not to put him in unnecessary risk, Milano stayed out there. Williams, who played very well for most of the season, never saw the field.
On one hand, if Milano was healthy and cleared to play, then you play him. By all means. He played well, and clearly left the game unscathed seeing as he practiced in full this entire week, but there's no denying that it was an unnecessary gamble to leave him on the field late in the fourth quarter. If you feel comfortable enough to pull Allen from the game, then why not pull Milano as well in his first game action since October of 2023? Apparently McDermott decided to throw the pitch count out the window in a blowout victory in very challenging weather conditions, which makes little sense.
As stated — it clearly worked out okay. Milano, by all accounts, is healthy and got a ton of reps under his belt to continue his comeback and kick off the rust before the playoff run that they've already clinched, but it was a major bullet dodged by McDermott to not see this decision backfire.
The game won't be remembered for Milano's playing time. It'll be remembered for the weather conditions and Allen going absolutely thermonuclear with ridiculous efforts that have him as the frontrunner in the NFL MVP race. But if Milano suffered a setback for playing too much, the snow clouds wouldn't be the only ones hanging over Buffalo.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
