The Buffalo Bills will be without six players tonight against the Minnesota Vikings, including two starting offensive linemen and a pair of defensive depth pieces, as both teams finalized their inactive lists about 90 minutes before kickoff.
Buffalo and Minnesota enter the game at 6-1, setting up a matchup between the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense and the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense. The Bills had already ruled one player out and listed two starters as questionable on Saturday, while the Vikings had three players out and two more questionable before the final inactive report came in.
For Buffalo, rookie wideout Skyler Bell is inactive after the team moved Joshua Palmer to injured reserve because of a hamstring injury and elevated veteran Trent Sherfield Sr. from the practice squad. That decision leaves Bell on the sideline while Sherfield gets the call.
The Bills will also be without left tackle Dion Dawkins. He did not practice all week and was listed as questionable, but his absence isn’t much of a surprise.
Tylan Grable, who started at right tackle last week in place of Spencer Brown, will shift over to the left side tonight. Brown is active, and rookie Jude Bowry is up as the swing tackle.
Buffalo’s offensive line will take another hit with guard Alec Anderson inactive because of an ankle injury. Austin Corbett is expected to step in for Anderson, while Lloyd Cushenberry III remains the top interior reserve.
Since Cushenberry has only played center, the Bills could be thin if they need help up front. Rookie Ar’Maj Reed-Adams is also active.
On the defensive side, Greg Gaines will miss a second straight game after the calf injury he suffered in practice leading into Buffalo’s win over the Baltimore Ravens last week. Veteran edge rusher Mike Danna is inactive again as a healthy scratch.
The final Bills inactive is rookie safety Jalon Kilgore, who is a healthy scratch for the second straight week. Buffalo will go with Damar Hamlin starting next to Cole Bishop again, while Geno Stone is up from the practice squad and active once more. Te’Cory Couch and Dee Alford are also active.
In Other News...
Bills Trade Deadline Pressure Is Suddenly All About One Defensive Need
With less than 24 hours before the 2026 NFL trade deadline, the Bills are still weighing whether to make a move, and the conversation around Buffalo has narrowed to one obvious area: defense. ESPNs Troy Aikman said he spoke with general manager Brandon Beane about the possibility of adding help on that side of the ball, a sign the front office is at least exploring whether there is a deal worth making before the clock runs out.
Joe Buck also floated Budda Baker as a potential target, which only adds to the speculation around what Buffalo might be willing to do if it decides the roster needs a boost. For now, though, nothing official has happened, leaving the Bills in the familiar deadline spot of trying to balance urgency with the cost of making a move. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Just Got More Pressure As An AFC Rival Goes All In
The AFC race just got a little tighter for Buffalo after Jacksonville spent the days leading into the trade deadline loading up on defense. The Jaguars added safety Jessie Bates III from Atlanta, then followed with deals for defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Jordan Davis from Philadelphia, a clear sign they are trying to fortify the middle of their defense and push harder in a crowded conference.
For the Bills, the timing matters as much as the names. Jacksonville paid for those upgrades with multiple future draft picks, a move that signals urgency now and confidence in the roster around it, and it adds another team in the AFC willing to act aggressively to close the gap. Buffalo has spent plenty of time measuring itself against the conferences best, and this kind of deadline swing is the sort that can reshape the path to January. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Defense Is Forcing A Bigger Question Than Fans Expected
Since the Week 7 bye, Buffalos defense has started looking like the unit the Bills expected it could be, holding opponents to far fewer yards and points in back-to-back games. The improvement has shown up across the board, with the pass rush getting home more often and the group playing with the kind of urgency that can change the feel of a game before the offense even settles in.
Greg Rousseau has been one of the voices pointing to the shift as something more lasting than a short burst, and the numbers back up the eye test even without needing much decoration. The bigger question now is less about whether the defense has found something and more about how Buffalo balances that rise with the steady work of Josh Allen and James Cook on the other side of the ball. [Read more 🡒]