Buffalo Bills: Latest injury news and odds for Week 3

Looking at the latest injury news and game odds for the Buffalo Bills, as they attempt to bounce back against the Minnesota Vikings and save a season which is fast becoming a lost cause.

Just another average week for the Buffalo Bills, as they lost their home opener, dropped to 0-2 on the season and had a plethora of football analysts declare them all but officially out of the playoff race. Oh, and Vontae Davis decided to retire at half time of the Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which might be the most Buffalo Bills-esque thing you’ve ever head.

Sports personality Bill Simmons once coined the phrase “the Mike Tyson zone”, where whatever happened to the former boxer — no matter how outlandish — you would believe it, because it was Tyson. For similar reason, we now need to have the Buffalo Bills zone; even fans of the team must agree if anything ludicrous is going to happen, it will happen to their beloved Bills.

In this respect, it will probably come as no surprise that the Bills face the biggest point spread of the season so far. As per Odds Shark, they travel to Minnesota as 16.5-point underdogs against the Vikings.

And it sounds even worse, when considering the average predicted scoreline is 36.1-5.4 in favor of the Vikings. Oh, and don’t bother going back into the records books for any hope in a historical context.

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The Vikings lead the all-time head-to-head series 8-5 versus the Bills. Of more importance, this includes a 4-1 record for the Vikings at home against Sunday’s opponent.

As always, injuries will be a contributing factor to the final outcome. Unsurprisingly, this week produced the longest injury report yet for the Bills in this young season.

As has been the case so far this season, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander and defensive tackle Kyle Williams were given time off during the week to rest. Both veteran leaders are good to go on Sunday.

Similarly, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin is also ready to play against the Vikings despite his first appearance on the injury report this season. Dealing with a hip injury, he was limited in practice on Wednesday, but a full participant on Thursday and Friday.

The only Bills player who is definitely out for the contest in Minnesota is Shaq Lawson, who also missed last week’s game against the Chargers. He did not practice at all during the week due to a hamstring issue, in what is an extremely important season for the defensive end if he wishes to stick around in Buffalo.

Of the remaining five players on the Week 3 injury report, LeSean McCoy‘s questionable status is easily the most concerning for the Bills and their fans. The running back suffered cracked rib cartilage against the Chargers and was forced to leave the action.

As a result, McCoy has been limited in practice all week. He might be off to a slow start this season statistically, but it doesn’t minimize his importance on a team which now has a rookie quarterback at the helm.

Wide receiver Ray-Ray McLoud III has been on the injury report all season and is yet to make his pro debut. He is listed as questionable with a knee injury, although he was a full participant in practice on Friday.

Rounding out the injury report, cornerbacks Phillip Gaines (elbow) and Taron Johnson (shoulder), along with running back Taiwan Jones (head) are also all listed as questionable for Sunday. Of the three, Johnson figures to have the best chance of playing, after taking part in full practice on Friday.

Overall, if we’re being truthful, the Bills would struggle on Sunday even if they had a clean bill of health. As it is, we fully expect the team to drop to 0-3 on the season, with the only hope being another trip into the Buffalo Bills zone, where anything can happen………..

What’s your prediction for the Week 3 clash between the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings? Who is going to win, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.