Eleven players with injury designations means both teams have to game plan for a lot of “what ifs” in Week 9
The Buffalo Bills host the Miami Dolphins in just a few hours for a key AFC East battle. Divisional games are never each, but complicating things is the fact that both teams had extensive injury lists throughout the week. In fact, eleven players between the two teams were assigned injury designations on Friday.
At stake for the Bills is the two seed in the AFC; for Miami, it’s a last-ditch effort to save a season that went south in a hurry following a Week 2 letdown against Buffalo. With that, let’s take a look at how injuries to both the Bills and the Dolphins could impact today’s game.
Buffalo Bills’ offense vs. Miami Dolphins’ defense
Injured Bills: WR Amari Cooper (questionable), FB Reggie Gilliam (out), WR Curtis Samuel (questionable)
Injured Dolphins: DB Storm Duck (questionable), S Jevon Holland (doubtful), CB Kader Kohou (out), DE Zach Sieler (out), ILB Jordyn Brooks, DT Benito Jones
This week it’s fullback Reggie Gilliam who’ll be absent from Buffalo’s offensive game plan. Gilliam doesn’t play a whole lot of offensive snaps (he only played nine in Week 8), but when he does, it’s usually for needed short yardage. Gilliam is also a constant on special teams — helping to keep defenses away from Buffalo’s specialists.
As for the Bills wide receivers, Amari Cooper and Curtis Samuel were both limited all week. Samuel missed almost two full games, having left Week 7 in the first quarter while Cooper was injured sometime during Buffalo’s win in Week 8. Cooper’s arrival in Buffalo has made a difference in the Bills’ offense. Whether it’s because defenses are worried about Josh Allen’s newest weapon, or if it’s because he’s providing mentorship, or if it’s all coincidental no one in Buffalo will ever admit. Regardless, the wide receivers — even without Samuel and with a limited Cooper — were too much for the Seattle Seahawks to handle last week, and they’re likely to prove difficult for a very battered Dolphins defense.
On Friday, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said that he was feeling pessimistic about the likelihood of safety Jevon Holland playing on Sunday. Add to that the fact that nickel cornerback Kader Kohou has already been ruled out, it means that safety Jordan Poyer and cornerback Jalen Ramsey may have a long day keeping up with Josh Allen — who’s thrown for 821 yards and six touchdowns over the last three weeks. In fact, Allen hasn’t posted a passer rating under 102 in that span.
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Miami’s defensive front isn’t looking very strong this week either. With defensive end Zach Sieler out with a broken orbital bone, having defensive tackle Benito Jones limited this week with a knee injury is far from ideal.
If the Dolphins can’t get pressure on Allen and he has plenty of time behind the line of scrimmage, it may not matter which of Buffalo’s receivers gets the inactive tag. After all, without Cooper the last time these two teams met, the Bills’ offense had no problem putting 31 points on the board.
Inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks was also limited for most of the week with both a hamstring and a wrist injury. Additionally, the Dolphins have two other linebackers, Emmanuel Ogbah and Tyus Bowser, who were on the injury list but managed full weeks of practice. That’s not ideal for keeping fresh legs chasing down Allen or closing off running lanes against running back James Cook — something they struggled to do when they were healthy back in Week 2. In that game, Cook averaged 7.2 yards a carry and scored two touchdowns plus he caught a pass from Allen for a third score.
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Buffalo Bills’ defense vs. Miami Dolphins’ offense
Injured Bills: CB Christian Benford (questionable), LB Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano (IR)
Injured Dolphins: OT Terron Armstead, TE Julian Hill (out), WR Tyreek Hill, WR River Cracraft (questionable – still on IR)
Wide receiver Tyreek Hill will play in Buffalo on Sunday despite dealing with a foot injury for the past two weeks. In order for wide receiver River Cracraft to be in uniform this week, the Dolphins would have to add him back to the active roster before 11:30 a.m. EST Sunday. Even if they don’t, they have wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to line up opposite of Hill and that’s plenty of talent for the Bills’ secondary to cover.
Whether or not wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is added to the list of names for Buffalo’s cornerbacks and safeties to keep up with our not we’ll have to wait and see. OBJ was inactive the last time the Bills and Dolphins met, but in the three games he has been on the field (he didn’t play in Miami’s Week 8 loss), he hasn’t recorded a single catch.
Buffalo could use cornerback Kaiir Elam to stop a hobbled-but-not-slowed-down Hill and Waddle if Christian Benford isn’t cleared to play with his injured wrist. While relying on a youthful, first-round pick doesn’t sound like a bad plan, Benford beat Elam out of the starting cornerback position a year ago and has proved why all season long. In fact, Elam has only played 23 defensive snaps through eight games. Cornerback Rasul Douglas will be near the other sideline, regardless of whether Benford or Elam get the start, and the veteran — who joined the team via trade last Halloween — has done a great job shutting down receivers with 33 tackles, four pass defenses, and a forced fumble.
The Bills’ secondary has nickel cornerback Taron Johnson this time around — remember he was out with a fractured forearm when these two teams met in Week 2. They will also have linebacker Terrel Bernard, who suffered a pectoral injury in the first quarter of Buffalo’s early season win in Miami.
Without Johnson and Bernard, Buffalo struggled to hold running back De’Von Achane under 100 yards (he had 99) in Week 2 without them. They also didn’t have to contend with running back Raheem Mostert in their first meeting as he was sidelined with a chest injury. Since returning to play, Mostert hasn’t been as powerful as he was in past seasons. The 10-year veteran has put up 80, 50, and 19 yards in each of his last three games.
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Dolphins offensive tackle Terron Armstead has been dealing with a knee injury. While he was able to work up to a full practice on Friday, how long that knee will hold up as he tries to stop defensive end Greg Rousseau and edge rusher Von Miller, who’s returning to action this week after a four-game suspension, is a huge question mark.
Special Teams
Highmark Stadium is notorious for its swirling winds that can wreak havoc on a kicking game. Bills kicker Tyler Bass has had his struggles the past two years, prompting the team to bring in some competition two weeks ago. However, this week the Bills released Lucas Havrisik and replaced him with a wide receiver (Deon Cain). Obviously, Bass, who actually has only missed one kick at home this season (and that was ruled blocked) is who Buffalo’s riding with — for better or worse.
With fullback Reggie Gilliam out, the Bills will need some extra blocking on Bass’ kick attempts and Sam Martin’s punts. Martin, who’s averaging 47.6 yards per punt this season, only averaged 39.4 yards per punt the last time the Bills played at home.
However, the Dolphins have some special teams issues themselves. Long snapper Blake Ferguson, brother of Bills’ long snapper Reid Ferguson, is on Miami’s Reserve/Non-football illness list. On Saturday, the Dolphins announced that they were elevating backup long snapper Matt Overton for Sunday’s game. This is the third straight game for Overton, so the 11-year veteran should be comfortable — but in the swirling winds of Orchard Park, NY, everything has to be perfect … just ask any kicker for the Buffalo Bills.
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