The Buffalo Bills' playoff victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars has come at a significant cost, with wide receiver Gabe Davis ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a major knee injury.
Devastating Blow for Davis and the Bills
The 26-year-old receiver tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee during Sunday's tense 27-24 wild-card victory. The cruel twist is that the injury came against his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had signed Davis to a lucrative three-year, $39 million contract just before the 2024 season.
Davis's time in Jacksonville was marred by injury, limiting him to only 10 appearances before a torn meniscus in his left knee led to his release in May. He rejoined the Bills in September and had featured in six games for Buffalo this season, making 12 catches for 129 yards and one touchdown.
His playoff outing was cut short after just two receptions. A hard tackle from Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard caused the damage, and Davis was ultimately carted from the field, his season prematurely ended.
Secondary Concerns with Poyer's Hamstring
The Bills' defensive backfield is also facing a crisis. Veteran safety Jordan Poyer missed the entire second half of Sunday's win due to a hamstring issue, forcing the team's depleted secondary to rely on rookie Jordan Hancock.
With the 34-year-old Poyer's status uncertain for the upcoming divisional round clash, Hancock may be called upon again. Bills head coach Sean McDermott acknowledged the rookie's performance, stating, 'It was good to get him the reps he got and did some really good things out there, especially for a young player that hasn't played a ton, in terms of consistently back there. He's been in certain packages for us, but he did a good job.'
Injury Silver Linings and Allen's Resilience
There is some positive news on the injury front for Buffalo. The team plans to open the practice windows for two key contributors currently on injured reserve: defensive tackle Ed Oliver and wide receiver Curtis Samuel.
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich commented on Oliver's potential return, saying, 'Ed's certainly a talented player. He's had some time off, so we just got to see where he's at.' Samuel's comeback would be particularly timely, given that both Davis and fellow receiver Joshua Palmer (ankle) are now done for the year.
In a remarkable show of durability, quarterback Josh Allen did not miss a single snap on Sunday. This was despite being evaluated for a concussion and appearing to hurt his knee during one of his two touchdown runs. McDermott admitted Allen is 'certainly sore,' but emphasised, 'He's going to do whatever it takes to play.'
The Bills now travel to face the top-seeded Denver Broncos in the divisional round this Saturday, carrying these significant injury concerns into a daunting away fixture against a well-rested opponent.
