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The Buffalo Bills’ hopes of making it to their first Super Bowl since the 1993 season have been dinged and dented as they get set to play the Denver Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round.
First, Josh Allen was one of 15 players listed on the Bills’ injury report to start the week. Allen was dealing with three injuries simultaneously – a foot, knee and right finger. He was limited in practice on Tuesday, but was a full participant on Wednesday.
Even as banged up as he is, the ball has been in Allen’s hands to make magic on the field. He did that against the Jacksonville Jaguars as he scored three times, including a passing touchdown to Dalton Kincaid with 8:56 left in the game and a rushing score to put Buffalo ahead with about 1:04 left.
The Broncos, who have one of the best defenses in the NFL, are highly aware of what Allen can bring to the table. He had 272 passing yards and two touchdowns in their matchup last year.
“One thing we need to eliminate is his second-chance opportunities,” Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II said of Allen. “He thrives off that and finding opportunities even if the play is not there. He is a great player, so we have to game plan and eliminate the explosives.”
Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph gets the privilege of scheming up a defensive plan to stop the Bills.
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“His legs are special, he’s got that size, he can make every single throw. That’s not different for us, but you can’t simulate it, obviously. If you could, you would. But you can’t,” Joseph said. “There’s one Josh Allen and he lives in Buffalo.”
For all of Allen’s greatness, the injury report is extensive and he lost another weapon.
Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers will miss the rest of the playoffs after he suffered a torn knee ligament, head coach Sean McDermott said on Tuesday. The news came a day after McDermott said Gabe Davis suffered a similar injury.
Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Brandin Cooks represent the healthy receivers on the team’s official depth chart. Mecole Hardman and Stephen Gosnell are candidates to be promoted to the active roster. The team also added Kristian Wilkerson to the practice squad.
Kincaid (knee/calf), Ty Johnson (ankle) and Curtis Samuel (elbow) are the other injured offensive players on the roster. Samuel is on the reserve/injured list.
Terrel Bernard (calf), A.J. Epenesa (neck), Maxwell Hairston (ankle), Damar Hamlin (pectoral), Matt Milano (ankle), Ed Oliver (bicep), Jordan Poyer (hamstring), Greg Rousseau (back), Shaq Thompson (neck) and Matt Prater (right quad/right calf) are also listed on the report.
“What we need to focus on is what’s in front of us … and that’s handling the things that we can handle and control,” McDermott said, via the team’s website. “It’s next man up. That’s pretty stone cold what it is and what has to happen here for us.”
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The two teams will meet Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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