The Buffalo Bills were able to get the better of Patrick Mahomes and the reigning AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, as they came away with a 28-21 victory at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. However, the win came at a price, with Buffalo defensive end Michael Hoecht suffering a serious injury, as reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network after the contest.
“Bills DE Michael Hoecht tore his Achilles tonight, coach Sean McDermott announced. A frustrating short season for Hoecht,” Rapoport shared in a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.
Hoecht went down in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs game on a non-contact play. He was later ruled out for the rest of the contest, and now it seems that the 28-year-old defensive player will be sidelined for an extended period, based on the nature of his injury.
Hoecht, who is in his first season with the Bills after spending the previous four years with the Los Angeles Rams, left the contest versus the Chiefs with two total tackles (one solo) to go with 0.5 sacks and a quarterback hit. On the season, Hoecht has two sacks and a forced fumble.
This is a tough development for Hoecht, who was just two games into his return to action when he suffered the injury. He was declared eligible to return to action in October after serving a six-game suspension due to performance-enhancing drug violation. In his first game back from the suspension, he made an impact right away for Buffalo's defense, recording 1.5 sacks to go with three total tackles with a forced fumble in a 40-9 Bills demolition of the Carolina Panthers on the road in Charlotte in Week 8.
