When the NFL schedule was first released, seeing the Buffalo Bills having their bye week in Week 7 wasn’t exactly ideal at the time. The earlier the bye week, the more risk a team has going into November/December. However, considering the injury bug the Bills have been dealing going back to the summer, the timing of their bye week was actually what they needed.
One key injury that really hurt the Bills’ gameplan for Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons involved tight end Dalton Kincaid, who missed that Monday night game against the Falcons. Buffalo’s offense looked pathetic overall and not having Kincaid as a safety valve definitely hurt the unit.
Dalton Kincaid's injury hurt Bills more than fans could have thought
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report listed Kincaid’s injury as a key injury that is currently hurting the Bills, and Gagnon is spot on.
"Kincaid continues to lead the team in receiving yards and touchdowns, so his absence was far from ideal in Atlanta. Same goes for defenders Matt Milano and rookies Maxwell Hairston and T.J. Sanders, but it's not as though any of them were factors in 2024 or have been much if at all in 2025."Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report
With this being Kincaid’s third year, he needs to have a bit of a breakout season because the Bills will have to decide whether or not they will pick up the 5th-year option of his rookie contract. After Week 5 against the New England Patriots, Kincaid popped up on the injury list with an oblique injury.
He was a true game-time decision for Week 6 but he wasn’t ready to go, and not having him on the field hurt Buffalo’s offense more than we thought. Outside of Josh Allen’s 46-yard pass to Joshua Palmer on the first play, there was no spark on offense whatsoever.
With having Kincaid on the field, who currently leads the Bills in receiving yards, it allows Allen to have a safety valve in crucial moments. Not to mention, having him on the field helps the offense spread the ball around.
Kincaid is a lot more valuable to this offense this year than we thought. With Kincaid being a true game-time decision for Week 6 and then having the bye week, he should be ready to go for Week 8 against the Panthers. The Bills are riding a two-game losing streak and they will need the best version of Kincaid to get back into the win column.