The Bills are arguably the least injured team in the NFL right now

[Mikie2times]

4 minutes ago, RoyBatty is alive said:

What do you mean "bad luck for us"?  Fewer injuries in my book is the opposite of bad luck.

Being sarcastic 

[Fleezoid]

This can't be true. It removes our excuse. If it is true, then I guess we just have a bad roster. 

[Straight Hucklebuck]

2 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

Did you value the Lions win? It was basically against a 2nd team defense. Same with the 49ers. But we really don't talk about those things. We only talk about when it impacts us. When the reality is we aren't even that banged up compared to other teams. I doubt we have been historically but the idea has been allowed to build for so long now. It's just what our fans go to. Yesterday I remember in the game day thread a guy saying the defense sucks and then another guy saying, well, we have 4 starters out! It's almost January. Who doesn't have 4 starters out?

They’re 12-3 and gave up 21 points in 2024. 
 

This is why I like listening to Chris Simms near the end of the year. He has kept a notebook of observations and has had conversations around the league. 

 

By now you kind of know who teams are:

 

The Bills have a pedestrian defensive line. They’re not physically imposing. They don’t generate consistent pressure and can get pushed around. The hallmark continues to be a rotation of average pieces. Rousseau is young and can eat minutes. 
 

But we know who AJ Epenesa is - he can make an occasional play with his length, tipped passes or TFLs. Von is a situational player that you have to manage reps, Smooth is a average veteran DE with some size, Solomon can’t get in the field.

 

Our linebackers are smaller and play closer to the brittle end of the spectrum. Their injuries also have to be managed. I think they’re trending towards the best situation you could ask for when 2024 started - a rotation of Bernard, Milano and Williams. Unless you were going to trade for someone, those are the best three you have. 
 

And the secondary you can lump together - they’re not overly dynamic or fast. But Johnson, Rapp, Benford all play physical. 
 

Schematically, yesterday looked like a majority of games this year. Dumps to Tight Ends and Running Backs are effective and seem to gain 5-7 yards at will. Stevenson was able to get into the 2nd-level on runs and most times that means the 3rd-level has to get involved because linebackers get caught in the wash, or the Bills depend on secondary players to fill gaps as McDermott said. 
 

The Bills have mixed in more man this year, but Taron isn’t great in it, and if teams see Spector or Elam on the field they just go right at both of them.

[Drew21PA]

What is with these threads 

 

cmon!!!

[mjt328]

That chart is only considering the number of players on Injured Reserve.

There are other factors to consider.

 

So far, the Bills have been very fortunate not to lose any key players for the season (unlike the past few years).  But they have still managed to keep a pretty steady rotation of starters injured every single week.  And sadly, it always seem to be the same position group getting blasted at the same time.

 

Go back a month, and the Bills were dealing with injuries in the passing game - with Amari Cooper, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Dalton Kincaid all hurt at once.  They have gradually trickled back into the lineup.  But now we have been dealing with injuries to most of our defensive back seven.  Safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin, cornerback Rasul Douglas, and linebackers Matt Milano, Dorian Williams.

 

That chart also doesn't account for the importance of players lost.  The 49ers are listed near the middle of the pack.  But I would argue their constant injuries throughout the year to key pieces had more impact than any other team.  Then you have a team like Dallas, who lost their quarterback for the season.

 

Edited 5 hours ago by mjt328

[ProcessTruster]

4 hours ago, Patrick Duffy said:

Lol agreed...hope this doesn't jinx us

yes , pls delete this thread

 

bad juju

[Governor]

I was told we suck because of injuries.

[JP51]

4 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

We constantly overestimate the impact of injuries on us vs other teams. It's just what we do. It's a nice way to justify why things did or didn't happen how we expected and it always works because the actual impacts can't fully be measured and nobody has the time to research the context with other teams.

 

I agree here... so much oh they are not gonna over come... and when its ours we will slide someone in they will be fine...  then the flip side we lament our injuries as out of proportion... sometimes it is most times it isnt.... but everyone is injured at this point of the season.... you just gotta come out and play. Coaching in my estimation really comes into play now as you begin to identify your holes and try to hide them or adjust calls to put those that are in in the best position. I feel like Brady to a large extent has done that... Babich has struggled. 

[JohnNord]

5 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

 

Remember how so many of you wanted to fire the strength and conditioning staff?  🤣

 

One thing to consider though, I believe that Johnson, Coleman, and Kincaid ended up missing 4-5 weeks with their injuries.  So while they didn’t go on IR, they very well could have.  
 

Still that puts Buffalo toward the bottom of the list.  

[without a drought]

I know the Bills haven't had any players refuse to take the field either.