The Bills’ biggest concern this week may not be the Jets at all. It’s the right side of Buffalo’s offensive line, where Spencer Brown’s status suddenly looks shaky after he sat out Thursday’s practice.
Brown had been limited on Wednesday, but the Thursday injury report marked a step in the wrong direction. He’s dealing with an ankle injury he picked up against the Vikings, when James Cook was tackled and landed on Brown’s ankle. Brown finished that game, though it was clear he was working through discomfort.
That’s a problem for a Buffalo team trying to keep Josh Allen upright in an AFC East matchup in New Jersey on Sunday. The Bills are 7-1 after their 23-6 win over Minnesota, while the Jets come in at 2-7 and on a four-game losing streak. Buffalo handled the Vikings, but it wasn’t easy, and Allen had to navigate a defense that made life difficult all afternoon.
The line already had to adjust in that game, with Tylan Grable and Austin Corbett filling in on the left side after Dion Dawkins and Alec Anderson were ruled out with different injuries. Dawkins and Anderson are still trending toward playing in Week 10, and Connor McGovern remained limited on Thursday as well.
Brown’s situation is the one to watch now. He’s not a perfect player, but Buffalo’s offense tends to function at a high level when he’s on the field. He brings value as a run blocker and usually does enough in pass protection to keep pressure off Allen.
There’s one more practice left before Sunday, so the Bills still have time to get Brown back to limited participation. If he doesn’t, his availability could be in real doubt heading into the weekend.
And if Brown can’t go, Buffalo may have to turn again to Grable, who already stepped in during Week 8 and did as much as he could against the Ravens.
In Other News...
Bills Passing Game Faces A Week 10 Problem Fans Will Notice
Week 10 brings a useful reminder that not every passing game matchup is created equal, and the Bills are one of the teams fantasy players will be watching closely. The latest matchup breakdown points to how defenses are handling slot and boundary receivers around the league, with some units offering clear openings while others are making life difficult for quarterbacks and their targets.
For Buffalo, the concern is less about one individual defender than the kind of coverage problem that can shape a game plan. The Saints have been stingy against slot receivers, the Bengals have been more vulnerable there, and the Chiefs have been especially tough on slot production, which is the sort of league-wide context that can quietly tilt decisions for a passing offense. Fans looking at the Bills this week will notice how much the matchup itself may influence where the ball goes and which receivers are most likely to be featured. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Brings Another Bills Milestone Chase To The Jets
Josh Allen keeps adding to the Bills record book in ways that go well beyond the usual quarterback milestones, and Sundays matchup with the Jets offers another chance for the numbers to keep moving. Allen and James Cook both went over 5,000 rushing yards in Buffalo colors, with Cook now sitting ahead of Allen on the franchises all-time rushing list, a reminder of how much ground the Bills have covered on the ground even with Allen doing so much of the heavy lifting himself.
The bigger chase still belongs to Allen, who is closing in on the NFL mark for combined passing and rushing touchdowns through his first 10 seasons, while also nearing 90 career rushing touchdowns. There are other Bills storylines tucked into the same stretch run, too, with Greg Rousseau edging toward a personal best in sacks and Dawson Knox climbing the teams all-time receiving touchdowns list, giving Buffalo a handful of individual milestones to track as the season tightens up. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Defense Is Suddenly Giving Fans A Reason To Believe
The Bills have spent the early part of the season trying to find a defensive identity, and over the past two games there are signs it may finally be coming into focus. Buffalo has looked sturdier against the run, created more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and started turning those stops into the kind of disruptive plays that can change a game, with Greg Rousseau helping lead the push off the edge.
Amani Hookers arrival from the Tennessee Titans before the trade deadline only adds to the sense that Buffalo is trying to harden the back end as well as the front seven. The Bills are coming out of Week 8 and Week 9 with sacks, interceptions and a defense that has made life noticeably harder on opposing offenses, which is exactly the sort of development that can shift the tone around a team heading into the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]