Bills’ Sean McDermott provides worrying injury update on slew of key starters days ahead of Week 1 vs. Ravens
Not an ideal start to the week.
The Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens are set to face off in a heavyweight NFL matchup on Sept. 7. It’s officially game week, with the team practicing and gearing up for the highly anticipated contest. Head coach Sean McDermott was able to provide an injury update on a slew of key starters ahead of the matchup. While there’s still plenty of time before the game, Buffalo is looking a little depleted across the board. McDermott offered an update on Tre’Davious White, Christian Benford, and Tyler Bass as some of the bigger names on the roster.
White was unable to practice, while Benford and Bass are limited heading into the week. To make matters worse, and not speculating on injury, Benford’s status for Week 1 is also unclear. He’s dealing with a lower-leg injury, while Bass continues to work through a pelvic injury that sidelined him most of the preseason. McDermott didn’t offer much on Bass’ availability.
For Benford, McDermott offered, “We’ll see.”
The sky isn’t falling, and the world isn’t on fire. McDermott offered that there is a plan in place with some rising stars on the defensive side of the football to step in and hopefully make a difference if White or Benford were to miss time. This is in addition to the team’s first-round pick in Maxwell Hairston being on IR and unavailable for at least the first four weeks of the regular season. Specifically, the head coach was asked about Ja’Marcus Ingram and Dorian Strong having to fill in last minute.
“They’ll be ready,” was all McDermott offered.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are looking to settle the score
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens are heading into town to try and avenge their divisional round loss to the Bills in the playoffs, with Derrick Henry and a high-powered offense of their own. The Bills’ head coach opened up about what kind of challenges they’ll face taking on Henry. Bills Mafia knows all too well the type of player Henry is — he’s a game-changer who has burned the Buffalo defense on more than one occasion. When asked about the plan to shut him down, McDermott was blunt in his response.
“He’s a tough person to contain,” McDermott said. “A lot of people have tried but haven’t been able to. It takes all eleven guys on the field.”
One way to help take Henry down is to be fully healthy on the defensive side of the football, something that the team is not currently. If Benford and White were to both miss the contest, look for Jackson to target the depleted secondary. Couple that with the question marks surrounding the team at safety, and things could be going much smoother at One Bills Drive.
Here’s hoping that we get some positive updates throughout the week. Thinking about both starting cornerbacks out of the contest isn’t a great feeling, especially with the Ravens looking to even the score of sorts heading into Orchard Park.
On the positive side of things, the team still has Joshua Patrick Allen, who has shown time and time again that he not only rises to the occasion but shatters expectations. We’re hoping he doesn’t have to put on his Superman cape and take over because of poor defensive play, but we’ve seen him do it before.
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