Buffalo Bills: Week 4 Injury Report Update
By Paul Taylor
We bring you all the latest injury news for the Buffalo Bills, as they prepare for their Week 4 clash with the New England Patriots in Foxborough.
Winless after two games and fresh off firing his offensive coordinator, Rex Ryan found himself under even more scrutiny heading into the clash with the Arizona Cardinals. Fortunately for the Buffalo Bills head coach, his team came through in impressive fashion and he avoided what would have been a disastrous 0-3 start to the season.
However, there’s no rest for the wicked, and Ryan now heads to Foxborough to face his coaching nemesis, Bill Belichick. Even without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots represent an extremely tough opponent for the Bills – in other words, it’s status quo.
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With this in mind, the Bills’ injury report for Week 4 has several key players on it, which will only make fans even more anxious ahead of this weekend’s clash with the Patriots. Interestingly, the injuries are concentrated in three key areas of the roster: the receivers, the offensive line and the secondary.
Starting with the receivers, the biggest concern is obviously Sammy Watkins, who missed the Arizona game and has yet to practice this week, due to his foot injury. Ryan is hopeful his star receiver will be ready for Sunday, but with him expected to miss practice again on Friday, the signs aren’t looking good at this stage.
Greg Salas also missed last week’s game due to a groin issue, which was a shame for him after he impressed against the Jets with four catches for 89 yards and a score. He was limited in practice on Wednesday, but worryingly did not participate at all on Thursday.
As for Charles Clay, his presence on the injury report is expected to be a season-long situation. He once again missed practice on Wednesday to rest his knee, but should suit up on Sunday.
Turning to the offensive line, the main worry centers around Cordy Glenn, who has missed the last two games with an ankle injury. He has been limited in practice this week, but Ryan is hopeful, telling WGR550 and the rest of the media: “I’m encouraged by the fact that he was out there two days in a row.”
Of course, the potential absence of Glenn wouldn’t matter as much if his backup, Cyrus Kouandjio, wasn’t also on the injury report. Kouandjio rolled his ankle towards the end of the Cardinals game and has yet to practice this week.
Of less concern, center Patrick Lewis has yet to practice this week. As the backup to Eric Wood, he would be unlikely to see action anyway and has been on the inactives list every week since the season started.
Finally on offense, Cardale Jones has been a constant presence on the injury report since the season started, as he recovers from a sore right shoulder. However, this has little to no impact, given that he is currently third on the quarterback depth chart.
As mentioned earlier, all of the defensive concerns relate to the secondary, starting with Ronald Darby. The cornerback missed the Cardinals game with a hamstring pull, although the Bills were able to weather the storm.
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So far this week, Darby has been limited in practice. However, Ryan has stated he feels “pretty good” about the 22-year old’s odds of suiting up against the Patriots.
The other main concern in the secondary is starting strong safety Aaron Williams, who suffered an ankle injury during the Arizona game. Due to his history of neck issues, the Bills will take a cautious approach with him no matter what ailment he is suffering from and so far this week, he has been limited in practice.
The final two members of the Bills on the Week 4 injury report are safeties Colt Anderson and Jonathan Meeks, who are both dealing with foot injuries. Anderson has been on the inactives list since the start of the 2016 campaign, while Meeks did not practice at all on Thursday, after being limited on Wednesday.
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Taking the injuries into account, what’s your prediction for the Bills’ clash with the Patriots? Do you think they’ll even their record at 2-2, or drop to 1-3? Let us know in the comments section below.