The Buffalo Bills are walking a tightrope right now. Clinging to their playoff hopes, they’re heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals with a roster that’s bruised, battered, and-once again-patched together. It’s not quite the emergency situation they faced last week against Pittsburgh, but it’s close.
Let’s start with the confirmed absences. Head coach Sean McDermott announced Friday that defensive end Joey Bosa and linebacker Terrell Bernard are officially out. No surprises there-neither player practiced all week.
Bernard, who injured his elbow back in Week 11 during a Thursday night game in Houston, also missed last week’s contest. In his place, veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson stepped in and held his own, recording nine total tackles, including five solo stops. Thompson’s leadership and experience showed, especially in a game that demanded defensive stability.
As for Bosa, he pulled up with a hamstring injury last week while chasing down Aaron Rodgers. Before that, he made a huge impact with a strip sack that led to a scoop-and-score by cornerback Christian Benford.
That play was vintage Bosa-explosive off the edge, disruptive, and opportunistic. Unfortunately for Buffalo, it might be a few more weeks before we see that kind of spark again.
McDermott sounded cautiously optimistic earlier in the week, suggesting Bosa’s recovery could take a couple of weeks rather than a full month, but for now, he's on the shelf.
The offensive side of the ball isn’t immune to the injury bug either. Wide receiver Joshua Palmer is listed as doubtful, and that might be putting it kindly.
He hasn’t practiced this week and only logged one session the week before. At this point, it would be a surprise to see him suit up on Sunday.
Then there’s the Dalton Kincaid situation-one that’s becoming increasingly frustrating for the Bills. The promising tight end has missed three straight games with a hamstring injury suffered in the loss to Miami.
He was questionable last week and ultimately didn’t play. This week, he’s questionable again, but now there’s a new wrinkle: he aggravated his knee during rehab.
That’s the same knee he injured last season with a PCL issue, and during Friday’s practice, he was spotted wearing a brace and moving cautiously. That’s not exactly the look of someone ready to return to game action.
If Kincaid can’t go, the Bills are in a bind. Practice squad tight end Keleki Latu is out of regular-season call-ups.
That means Buffalo either has to promote Latu to the 53-man roster or roll with two tight ends and possibly lean more on fullback Reggie Gilliam. It’s not ideal, especially considering the game plan was likely built with the assumption that Kincaid would be available.
On the offensive line, right tackle Spencer Brown is still dealing with a shoulder injury that kept him out last week. Alec Anderson filled in and, aside from a couple of false starts, held his ground well.
If Buffalo decides to give Brown another week to recover, Anderson seems ready for another start. Credit to offensive line coach Aaron Kromer-his unit has shown real depth when tested.
There’s some good news in the trenches, though. Left tackle Dion Dawkins has cleared concussion protocol and will be back in the lineup. Ryan Van Demark did a commendable job filling in last week, but getting a veteran like Dawkins back is a major boost-both for protection and morale.
On the defensive front, A.J. Epenesa is trending in the right direction.
After missing Thursday’s practice with a foot injury suffered sometime between Wednesday’s session and Thursday’s walkthrough, he returned as a full participant on Friday. That’s big for Buffalo, which currently has only three healthy defensive ends on the active roster-and Epenesa is one of them.
His presence on Sunday is essential.
Now comes the roster math. The Bills have a few decisions to make before kickoff.
Do they elevate Shaq Lawson or Morgan Fox to bolster the pass rush? Does Baylon Spector get another call-up with Bernard out again?
And in the secondary, with Ja’Marcus Ingram no longer in the picture, do they activate Dane Jackson for cornerback depth?
We’ll get those answers soon enough, but they won’t tell us everything-especially not how the questionable tags for guys like Kincaid and Brown will play out by kickoff. What we do know is this: the Bills are in survival mode. Every healthy body counts, every snap matters, and every decision from the coaching staff could tip the scales in a game that could define their season.
Sunday’s game isn’t just another week on the schedule-it’s a gut check. And Buffalo’s depth, resilience, and coaching creativity are all about to be tested.