Bills vs Jets: Josh Allen is back on the injury report to start Week 17

Allen is listed as a full participant, but is getting treatment for elbow and shoudler injuries.

The Buffalo Bills will host the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon as they try to secure the conference’s number two seed for the AFC Playoffs. The Jets have nothing to play for, except avoiding the season sweep by their division champions. The Bills will need to balance playing for a win with trying to get players healthy before the NFL Playoffs begin in two weeks.

Here’s a look at what injuries they will be trying to manage in Week 17.

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It’s important to note that the Bills did not practice on Christmas Day and the list they published is a “would have been” list. The status of players on Wednesday’s injury report are what the team would have expected from them if they had held a practice.

New Buffalo Bills names on the Week 17 Injury List

• QB Josh Allen (right shoulder/elbow)
• CB Cam Lewis (shoulder)
• P Sam Martin (back)
• DT Jordan Phillips (back)

Of these four new names, only Cam Lewis was predicted to have been limited. The versatile defensive back has been a key part of the Bills’ defense over the past two weeks while Rasul Douglas, Damar Hamlin, and Taylor Rapp have all been sidelined. The fifth-year back out of the University of Buffalo had a key interception Sunday to end a Patriots’ attempt to add points to the scoreboard.

The bigger concern is that Josh Allen is back on the injury list. The Buffalo quarterback had been on the injury report from Weeks 2 – 11 with a non-throwing hand injury that is now said to have been due to a break. However, in Week 15 Allen went to the X-ray room after the game because he had landed on his shoulder awkwardly and just wanted to be sure he was okay. He was not on last week’s injury report.

In Sunday’s win over the New England Patriots, Allen was seen shaking his hand and being attended to by trainers. Later, it was said that he hit his elbow on a defender’s helmet and that, combined with the single-digit temperatures, were causing him to have some loss of feeling in his hand. Now he’s on the injury report indicating that he will be getting attention from the Bills’ medical staff for both his shoulder and his elbow this week.

Other good news for the Bills is that neither nickel cornerback Taron Johnson nor linebacker Terrel Bernard were listed on this week’s injury report. Both left Sunday’s game for head checks. Bernard was cleared to return after a few minutes in the blue medical tent. It took a trip to the locker room for Johnson to get cleared, but he ultimately did return to play.

Buffalo Bills players now off injury list in Week 17

• WR Amari Cooper (wrist)

Cooper is off of the injury report for the first time since Week 8. The tenth-year wide receiver injured his wrist in just his second game as a Buffalo Bill. He then missed two games before playing in a cast. Now, nine weeks after the injury, his name is officially off the injury list.

Buffalo Bills players on the Week 17 injury list in need of monitoring

• S Damar Hamlin (rib)
• LB Matt Milano (biceps/groin)
• S Taylor Rapp (neck)
• WR Curtis Samuel (rib)

All four of these players were inactive in Buffalo’s 24-21 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday evening. They were all four injured during the Bills shoot out with the Detroit Lions in Week 15. With no actual practice today, there is no real way of knowing how they are progressing, but obviously, the Bills would like to get their starting safeties back on the field. Milano is another big question mark as Buffalo sent Baylon Spector back to Injured Reserve on Monday. They did sign Nicholas Morrow – who had been with the team earlier in the season – but depth will be key as they head into the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills players who are status quo on Week 17 injury list

• T Spencer Brown (neck)
• DT DeWayne Carter (wrist)
• CB Rasul Douglas (knee)
• TE Dalton Kincaid (knee)
• TE Quintin Morris (shoulder/groin)
• DE Dawuane Smoot (wrist)
• LB Dorian Williams (elbow)

While all of these guys were listed as “would have been” full participants on Christmas Day, the big news is that Rasul Douglas and Dorian Willias have joined this category. Both Douglas and Williams were limited during Week 16’s practices. While they both entered the weekend with questionable designations – and despite Douglas’s claims that he was fine and was ready to play – it was only Williams that suited up against the New England Patriots. It looks like this week, Buffalo may get them both back for game time.

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The New York Jets also did not practice on Wednesday, but provided an estimation of who would or would not have been practicing if they had.

New York Jets not practicing

• WR Devante Adams (hip)
• CB Michael Carter II (back)
• CB Sauce Gardner (hamstring)
• DL Braiden McGregor (ankle)
• OL Morgan Moses (knee)
• Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle)

New York Jets limited in practice

• S Tony Adams (ankle)
• DL Haason Reddick (neck)
• OL John Simpson (calf)
• DL Quinnen Williams (hamstring)

New York Jets on Injury Report but full participants

• QB Aaron Rodgers (knee)

Despite thoughts that Rodgers might not be able to play on Sunday and that Buffalo would see former Bills’ QB Tyrod Taylor, it looks as though the 20-year veteran has no plans to sit out Week 17.

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When the teams return to practice on Thursday, more information may become available on how players are progressing through their rehabilitation and how close they are to being ready to take the field. There are still plenty of questions to look for answers to: Will Buffalo play a third straight game without a large portion of their starting defensive backs? Will Rodgers really be able to play? Is Josh Allen hurt or not?