It's already Week 5, and the Buffalo Bills are set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. Almost everyone is prepared to play, but there are injuries that have to be considered.
After a favorable injury report in Week 4, Buffalo stayed largely healthy against the New Orleans Saints. Some big names still missed the action, but the Bills didn't suffer. They can only hope to be as fortunate again. The final Friday injury report is here, so let's look at how things stand heading into Sunday Night Football.
Bills' Week 5 injury report vs. Saints per the Bills' PR X account
DE Joey Bosa - Vet Rest
Veteran defensive end Joey Bosa cropped up on the injury report on Thursday, with a 'vet rest' designation. Since Wednesday's rest, he has been a full participant. There's no reason to believe it will hamper him in any way for Week 5, and he has no designation.
OT Spencer Brown - Calf
Spencer Brown has been dealing with his calf injury since Week 2, and missed Week 4 against the Saints to recover. Brown could have played, certainly, but the Bills seemed to believe their best chance to win down the road was earned by resting him now. It seems to be a worthy choice; The Bills handled New Orleans 31-19, rising to 4-0 on the season.
Now, Brown returns, though limited in practice every day this week. He is officially questionable, but will be capable of playing. The decision to rest or use him will come on Sunday.
TE Jackson Hawes - Ankle
The Buffalo Bills latest rookie sensation, Jackson Hawes, wasn't given an injury designation during the game. Still, he opened Week 5 limited in practice with an ankle injury. He practiced fully on Friday and has no game designation.
DE AJ Epenesa - Pectoral
AJ Epenesa did play through a minor pectoral injury on Sunday, having been limited in practice in Week 4. It didn't seem to hamper him, to the tune of a sack, tackle for loss, and a QB hit in the game.
It's been only a few short days since that game and Epenesa seems to be fine. He is off the injury report for Week 5's Sunday Night Football matchup.
DT TJ Sanders - Knee
The Bills second-round rookie DT cropped up on the report on Thursday. He was limited with a knee injury after practicing fully the day before. Though he was seen practicing on Thursday, there was little information available about the injury itself. On Friday, he spoke with Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, who found his injury occurred against the Saints and flared up again midweek.
Officially, TJ Sanders is questionable for Sunday, and told Buscaglia that he was unsure.
CB Dorian Strong - Neck
Another late addition, Dorian Strong missed Thursday's practice with a neck injury after a full practice on Wednesday. He was not seen at practice until Friday, where he did not participate and was declared out early in the day. This will be something to monitor heading into Week 6.
DT Ed Oliver - Ankle
Ed Oliver hasn't taken the field in three weeks, but started off Week 5 as a limited participant. His ankle injury, reportedly from being stepped on in practice to start Week 2, has sidelined him for some time, but there's progress now. Oliver participated in practice all week, in a limited capacity, and is listed as questionable for Sunday.
LB Matt Milano - Pectoral
Despite the difficult assessment period for Matt Milano's pectoral injury, which he suffered during Week 2's matchup against the New York Jets, made understanding the severity of the injury difficult. The team was unsure if Milano could return in under four weeks, but now he's practicing. Having missed only two games, the team may have made the right choice.
Milano started off Week 5 as limited, and stayed that way all week. He's officially questionable for Sunday Night Football.
LB Dorian Williams - Knee
Dorian did go down on the field against the New Orleans Saints, but seemed able to move well on his own on the sidelines. Now, he's listed with a knee issue and didn't participate in practice all week. He was ruled out very early on Friday, indicating this could be an issue that hangs around a while. That certainty is rare in small injuries.
Injury Summary
The Buffalo Bills have three big injuries to watch, but they're all trending up. Spencer Brown was likely able to play last week, and should be expected to go this week unless they decide they're comfortable enough to let him rest.
Matt Milano and Ed Oliver are true questionables; Neither was a full participant in practice for multiple weeks, and them playing should be considered unlikely. Still, both are long-time veterans in this defense and are able to play without practice, leaving this question unanswered.
TJ Sanders is a competent rookie who has given Buffalo some good, quiet snaps, but he's far from a key player in this defense. Though the injury that makes him questionable seems to be minor, he could benefit from a week of rest and the Bills will be unlikely to feel his absence.