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2023 Wild Card Injury Report: Buffalo Bills vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

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4 months ago

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Rasul Douglas, Buffalo Bills, Injury Report, Pittsburgh Steelers

The Buffalo Bills finished 11-6 and AFC East Champions after etching out a come from behind win over the Dolphins last week. The victory did bear some key injuries. Two players are ‘questionable’ this week, and two others have already been ruled out. The Bills also remain without CB Tre’ White, LB Matt Milano, and DT Jordan Phillips, as all are on the IR list.

As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are generally healthy, but will be missing their best player, OLB TJ Watt. They also have additional attrition at the ILB positions, with Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander on the IR. Another notable player on their IR is SS Keanu Neal.

OUT

WR Gabe Davis

Davis suffered a PCL sprain of his ‘knee’ last week and exited the game against the Dolphins. He took a direct blow to his knee when he tripped in the endzone on Josh Allen’s second INT of the day. He didn’t leave the game until he was seen pulling up on his first play on the next series. 

A PCL injury is rare, and the return to play is variable. Generally speaking, the average return to play is 6-8 weeks (1). However, lower grade PCL injuries can return quicker. It has been reported Davis has a low-grade sprain.

Gabe Davis, PCL sprain
themidastouchinjuryandrehab.com

Best case scenario, Davis can return if the Bills advance, but there is uncertainty when that will happen over the next few weeks. This graph displays when mild cases of PCL sprain return in the NFL.

PCL sprain
mdedge.com

S Taylor Rapp

Rapp injured his ‘calf’ on his game-clinching INT at the end of the Dolphins game. Although it appeared he fell on the football and it could be a wind knocked out/rib situation, he strained his left calf when he leaped. Luckily, he caught the ball, but he will have to miss some time.

Taylor Rapp, calf
imovephysio.com.au

The return to play depends on severity. Players can return in 1-4 weeks, but average about two weeks missed time (2).

QUESTIONABLE

CB Rasul Douglas

Douglas exited the Dolphins game early with a ‘knee’ injury. He appeared to have Micah Hyde’s leg whip into the outside of his knee, which would be a mechanism for an MCL sprain.

This is likely a minor sprain based on Douglas’ postgame interview, and he was available to re-enter the game last week if needed. 

Regardless, Douglas was unable to practice at all this week. It was reported he was day-to-day, and low grade MCL sprains usually take about 1-2 weeks to recover (3). It is likely best he misses this game, especially with the slick field, in hopes for the team to advance and he can play next week.

Rasul Douglas, MCL
draustinchen.com

Tyrel Dodson

Dodson exited the Dolphins game last week with a ‘shoulder’ injury. There is no clear instance of when the injury occurred, but due to several hard tackles to his shoulder, it is likely he is dealing with an AC joint injury.  Dodson went limited-DNP-limited this week in practice, but it will be tough to play for him this week. Low grade AC joint sprain usually take 1-2 weeks to return (4). It is possible that he can play, if he can manage the pain, which I expect him to try.

Tyrel Dodson, shoulder
s3c.com.au

Also Listed 

QB Josh Allen

Josh Allen is listed with his ‘neck’ ailment again, but he was a full participant in practice all week. This was sustained during the Patriots game two weeks ago.

The neck pain is resonating from a stinger he sustained on his last play of that game. His neck was bent to the right, stretching the neck musculature on his left side. This is likely causing soreness in the neck muscles on his non-throwing shoulder side. Allen himself stated he sustained a stinger, but it is unknown which arm felt nerve pain. He was seen grasping his right hand after the hit, but he was also dealing with a sprained middle finger in that hand all game. These usually resolve quickly but will be a concern if he suffers a subsequent stinger in the near future.

Josh Allen, neck
 physio-network.com

RB Ty Johnson

Johnson left the Dolphins game with a ‘concussion’. He was injured on the last play of the first half, when he took a blow to the side of his head. He has passed the concussion protocol and will be available this Sunday.

OT Dion Dawkins

Dawkins sustained a ‘hand’ laceration during the Dolphins game that caused him to exit the game for a short time. He went to the locker room for stitches after apparently almost having his finger ripped off. 

He was limited early in the week, and did miss Thursday’s practice for an illness, but he will be ready to play this weekend.

S Micah Hyde

Micah suffered a “neck stinger” against the Chiefs’ and did not return to the game. 

This is the same injury he suffered against the Bengals in Week 9. He also exited that game and did not play the following week.

This is a significant injury for Hyde because of his recent neck history. Although not confirmed, Hyde likely underwent an Anterior Cervical Discectomy Fusion (ACDF) last year.

Micah Hyde, neck
biospine.com

A player returning to a contact sport runs a risk returning from these types of injuries. Usually, once they suffer a new stinger or severe neck ailment, it’s game over. Hyde has already had two stingers this year and is continuing to finish out the year. He was able to play the last two weeks without issues and was a full participant in practice this week.

S Damar Hamlin

Hamlin took a blow to his right ‘shoulder’ on punt protection in the second quarter of the Chargers game. He shook his arm out instantly and briefly exited the game. He returned with a visible harness/support on his shoulder later in the game. Hamlin may have sustained a shoulder subluxation due to the mechanism and harness used thereafter, or simply an AC joint sprain. He was available to play last week but was inactive. He should play this week with Rapp out of the lineup.

WR Stefon Diggs

Diggs has been listed for a Friday ‘vet rest’ for a third week in a row. This alone is not a concern. However, there was a drastic drop off in snap share % and production over the second half of the season. The only time Diggs was truly on the injury report this year was in the lead up to Week 10; he was listed with a ‘back’. He played 98% of the snaps that week, but had dropped off significantly since, especially in the last month of the season.

It is unknown if the back injury is the culprit, but something must have been bothering him, even if the team is saying there is nothing major injury wise. Luckily, he played 88% of the snaps last week against the Dolphins and appears to be healthier just in time for the playoffs.

EDGE Von Miller

Miller is not listed with his knee, but he has been taking his routine Monday ‘vet rest’ days. He is notable to list due to being inactive two weeks ago. It may have been production related, but he also may have not recovered from playing a season high 46% snap share against the Chargers the week prior. He was active against the Dolphins but played his lowest snap share (28.8%) since Week 11. He was seen pregame with an apparent limp prior to the game.

Other notable players to have a ‘vet rest’ day this week are DE Leonard Floyd and DT DaQuan Jones. Also, TE Dawson Knox missed one practice due to ‘illness’ in the middle of the week. 

Citations

  1. Kew ME, Cavanaugh JT, Elnemer WG, Marx RG. Return to Play after Posterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2022 Dec; 15(6): 606-615. doi: 10.1007/s12178-022-09794-z. Epub 2022 Nov 30. PMID: 36447081; PMCID: PMC9789230.
  2. Werner BC, Belkin NS, Kennelly S, Weiss L, Barnes RP, Potter HG, Warren RF, Rodeo SA. Acute Gastrocnemius-Soleus Complex Injuries in National Football League Athletes. Orthop J Sports Med. 2017 Jan 11; 5(1): 2325967116680344. doi: 10.1177/2325967116680344. Erratum in: Orthop J Sports Med. 2017 Jan 30; 5(1): 2325967117693882. PMID: 28203595; PMCID: PMC5298443.
  3. Derscheid GL, Garrick JG. Medial collateral ligament injuries in football: nonoperative management of grade I and grade II sprains. Am J Sports Med. 1981; 9: 365–368.
  4. Lynch TS, Saltzman MD, Ghodasra JH, Bilimoria KY, Bowen MK, Nuber GW. Acromioclavicular joint injuries in the National Football League: epidemiology and management. Am J Sports Med. 2013 Dec; 41(12): 2904-8. doi: 10.1177/0363546513504284. Epub 2013 Sep 20. PMID: 24057030.

Featured Image Credit: Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

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