Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) – As the NFL gets Week 4 of the 2022 season underway, the Buffalo Bills come in with a long injury list again ahead of their matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Although the team is coming off a longer week than last, the injury list is still very long.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott joined the "Extra Point Show" on Friday for his weekly appearance on WGR, and confirmed that wide receiver Jake Kumerow, cornerback Christian Benford, and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips will not play due to lingering injuries.
Meanwhile, wide receiver Gabriel Davis appeared to have a setback in his rehab from an ankle injury, as he went from a limited participant on Wednesday to not practicing on Thursday. McDermott said that the team plans on taking his status, and others that have been limited throughout the week one day at a time.
After Thursday night's game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Dolphins saw Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa taken off the field on a stretcher, McDermott says that a lot of communication goes on with him and the medical staff.
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“The communication piece is huge," said McDermott with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase. "We try and get as accurate, and as timely of information as we can to the family of the player when it happens, and our trainers relay the information to me on the sidelines and we try to get the information to the position coaches.”
As of right now, the Bills have one player in the concussion protocol, as offensive linemen Ryan Bates entered protocol during this past Sunday's loss to the Dolphins in Miami.
McDermott also points out that his communication level with the doctors and training staff is daily, and sometimes more than once in a single day.
With the depleted secondary Buffalo is dealing with through three weeks, the Bills signed Pro Bowl cornerback Xavier Rhodes to the practice squad. McDermott understands the challenges of getting a player like him up to speed, especially when coming in as a free agent.
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“I think the challenge is, we’ve been in training camp and our players have worked for said period of time, and they built up reps and reps, and reps from a schematic standpoint and understanding of the scheme. But also from a conditioning and hardening themselves up though the course of training camp. So getting that player into football shape is always a challenge,” McDermott said.
As it turns out, Rhodes will not play this Sunday, as McDermott later revealed on Friday that he suffered an injury during practice this week.
Looking ahead to Sunday's matchup in Baltimore, the Bills have played Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson three times since he was drafted in 2018, the same draft Buffalo took Josh Allen. McDermott knows that the former MVP's talents are tough to defend.
“The speed element is different when you’re talking about a player like Lamar," McDermott said. "It’s hard to simulate, but you do the best you can with everything.”
In addition, the Bills will be looking ahead to the weather for Sunday's game, as the remnants of Hurricane Ian could create some sloppy conditions on the field.
“We’ll take it one day at a time," McDermott said of the weather conditions. "We’ll adapt where necessary when you’re getting a forecast with some wind and some rain that could affect the game in some way."
Hear more of McDermott's appearance during the "Extra Point Show" in the player below:
