The Buffalo Bills had a few players make us hold our collective breath during Sunday’s win over the Houston Texans, but none of the bumps and bruises appear likely to keep anyone off the field when the Bills turn around and play again Thursday night against the Detroit Lions.
And on a short week, that might be almost as important as the win itself.
Safety Cole Bishop gave the Bills their first injury scare of the afternoon when he left the game during the first half and took a trip to the blue medical tent. Bishop was listed as probable to return with a knee injury, and he did just that, getting back on the field and finishing the game.
DJ Moore provided another scare near the end of the game.
Moore was caught in the shuffle of players trying to recover James Cook’s fumble on Buffalo’s final offensive possession and was seen hopping toward the sideline before heading into the medical tent.
There was never an official injury announcement for Moore, but we got a pretty good update a few minutes later when he was back on the field. Moore drew attention from the Houston defense and helped clear the way for Josh Palmer to get open for the go-ahead touchdown.
In between those two moments that had us holding our breath, there were a couple of other minor, almost unnoticed, incidents.
Linebacker Terrel Bernard appeared to be dealing with some lower-leg discomfort at one point. Bernard was seen sitting on the ground flexing his foot to be rubbing the top his shoe between plays, but he never left the game.
Then there was Josh Allen.
Allen hit his throwing hand against Texans’ defensive end Danielle Hunter’s hand during the game and spent a little time rubbing it afterward. He never came out, and whatever discomfort he was feeling didn’t show up when Buffalo needed him most. Allen led the Bills down the field on the game-winning drive without hesitation.
None of those four situations appear likely to result in missed time, but they will be worth watching when Buffalo begins releasing its injury reports this week.
The Bills will host the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football in the first regular-season game at the new Highmark Stadium, giving Buffalo just a few days to recover from Sunday’s win in Houston.
Leaving Houston with a victory was important. Leaving Houston healthy might be even more so.
