Full Bills-Vikings injury report: Poyer, Rousseau ruled out

The Bills are taking Josh Allen’s availability ‘hour by hour’

Before the Buffalo Bills’ final practice ahead of their Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings, head coach Sean McDermott ruled two key defenders out for Sunday’s game: safety Jordan Poyer and defensive end Greg Rousseau.

When the Bills released their final Week 10 injury report later in the afternoon, Rousseau and Poyer were joined in carrying injury designations by quarterback Josh Allen (elbow) and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (groin/heel), who were both limited on Friday and officially questionable; as well as rookie cornerback Kaiir Elam (ankle), who did not practice for a second straight day and is officially doubtful.

We have been covering Allen’s elbow injury throughout the week, so if you’re looking for a blow-by-blow of his situation, we recommend reading through everything here.

It really comes as no surprise that Rousseau won’t be playing Sunday. The second-year player suffered a high ankle sprain in Buffalo’s Week 9 loss to the New York Jets and hasn’t been on the practice field at all this week. McDermott called Rousseau “week to week” on Wednesday, suggesting that Rousseau could miss multiple games.

For Poyer, this week will mark the fourth game he has been inactive this season, as he has battled a series of injuries. The latest injury, an aggravation to an elbow injury he suffered in training camp, is keeping him out of a second straight game. While Poyer has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, McDermott said that the safety continues to be day to day in his progress, so there is reason to hope that he will be back in action in Week 11 when the Bills host the Cleveland Browns.

At linebacker, McDermott said that linebacker Matt Milano looks to be in a good spot, and Buffalo’s head coach expects him to be ready to go on Sunday. The Bills missed the linebacker’s presence last Sunday as they struggled to get the Jets off the field and allowing them to keep the ball for 32 game minutes. His running mate, Edmunds, is more up in the air; he followed the same practice plan as Allen this week, missing two days and being limited on Friday.

Elam’s doubtful tag further depletes a Bills secondary that is already without Poyer and safety Micah Hyde. It’s unclear if cornerback Tre’Davious White will play this weekend, as well; he carries no injury designation, but the team has been very cautious in bringing him back up to full speed. With potentially inclement weather on the horizon, the team may choose to sit him another week.

Buffalo’s secondary has been patched and taped back together all season. Damar Hamlin has been called on to fill Hyde’s role ever since, and with Poyer out, the Bills have been using Jaquan Johnson as the second safety—but recently brought Dean Marlowe back to the team through a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. It is possible that Marlowe, who joined the team a week ago, will be on the field this week.

With Rousseau out, Boogie Basham, who was part of the same 2021 draft class as Rousseau, will likely see an increased snap count this week. Basham, who sees snaps every week in Buffalo’s defensive line rotation, has eight tackles on the season, including four solo. With a sack and an interception to his name this season, Basham, despite being three inches shorter than Rousseau’s 6’6”, will still be a threat to the Vikings’ offensive scheme.

On the Vikings side of the equation, their report is a bit shorter, but still carries some significance: starting cornerback Cameron Dantzler and starting defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson have both been ruled out of this contest.