Subscribe
Follow Us
The Buffalo Bills narrowly pulled out a 23-20 victory on Monday night against the New York Jets despite a long list of injuries that limited them on both sides of the ball. Most notably, running back James Cook was a surprise scratch for the AFC East clash after dealing with a toe injury.
The Bills got good news on Friday ahead of their Week 7 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. Cook, tight end Dalton Kincaid, star defensive tackle Ed Oliver and a few other starters are all expected to be available despite their injuries, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Bills RB James Cook, DT Ed Oliver (hamstring) TE Dalton Kincaid (collarbone), LB Terrel Bernard (pectoral), CB Taron Johnson (forearm) and WR Mack Hollins (shoulder) all are expected to play Sunday vs. the Titans,” Schefter reported on X, formerly Twitter.
The availability of Cook and Kincaid will be especially important on Sunday against a Titans defense that has overachieved so far this season, despite Will Levis and the offense constantly dragging them down. The two of them will complement new addition Amari Cooper in the passing game after it was announced that Cooper will make his Bills debut on Sunday.
Bills getting healthy at the right time
All of the Bills' key pieces are getting healthy at the right time as the team jostles for position in an AFC that appears to be a little bit weaker than expected coming into the season.
Buffalo's escape on Monday night — in a game the Jets probably should have won — improved its record to 4-2 on the season and gave it a two-game lead in the AFC East. Barring injury, it's hard to see the Bills doing anything other than stretching that lead over the next month against a schedule that looks pretty manageable moving forward. After playing the Titans, Buffalo will play against the Seahawks, the Dolphins and the Colts before a titanic matchup with the Chiefs.
The Bills are currently in fourth place in the AFC, with their two losses coming against two of the teams in front of them, the Texans and the Ravens. However the Bills will feel good about their chances against either one of them after adding Amari Cooper. Cooper is exactly the type of wide receiver that the Bills needed in both of those games, when they were challenged in man-to-man coverage on the outside and their receivers were unable to get any separation.
The Chiefs have the most playoff pedigree and are still undefeated, so beating them in the regular season or the playoffs will not be easy. However, their offense has looked vulnerable since losing Rashee Rice to injury, so the new-look Bills will be confident that they can challenge the Super Bowl champs and potentially catch them in the standings to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs.
