At the beginning of his media availability on Wednesday, coach Sean McDermott listed the names of nine players who either missed the team’s wild-card victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday or sustained injuries during the game, indicating that their injury list is clearly a serious problem.
There are injuries to wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee), linebackers Terrel Bernard (ankle), Tyrel Dodson (shoulder), and Baylon Spector (back), safety Taylor Rapp (calf), punter Sam Martin (hamstring), and cornerbacks Rasul Douglas (knee), Christian Benford (knee), and Taron Johnson (concussion).
Even in a preseason game, that injury report presents issues, much less in a playoff game where victory is crucial.
Regarding their availability for the Kansas City game, McDermott provided minimal information. A ray of hope was offered when he mentioned that Douglas and Dodson would only be spending a limited amount of time on the field—though everyone would be restricted because this was just a walk-through session.
In the event that Martin is unable to play, the Bills have already taken action to ensure they have a punter/holder backup. Matt Haack was added to their practice squad on Wednesday. He has held for kicker Tyler Bass on placement kicks since he was the Bills’ punter in 2021. Haack filled the void on the practice squad left by Tuesday’s departure of Leonard Fournette.
“We’re not really sure where Sam’s situation is going to end up, so it gives us some flexibility there,” McDermott stated. “At this time, Sam’s status hasn’t really changed. We’ll just have to wait and see.
But the Bills are facing more than just injury problems. The Chiefs got two extra days of relaxation and recuperation before their first-ever road playoff game in Mahomes’ six-year tenure, which they won on Saturday against Miami.
In regards to the shorter rest, McDermott stated, “Well, really no significance.” “Aside from preparing ourselves for departure, there is nothing we can do about it. All season long, our team has battled. We won’t give up on our struggle just yet. Our players have done an outstanding job of filling in when someone has lost their position or their position group, and our team has shown resilience.
