For this week’s intraconference game against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Buffalo Bills and head coach Sean McDermott will be missing defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and presumably safety Micah Hyde.
Phillips will miss the rest of the regular season after being placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury. The injury appears to have occurred during this play against the Dallas Cowboys:
Hyde last played on Dec. 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and he has been out with a neck stinger since. This week, Hyde participated in practice, but according to coach Sean McDermott on WGR 550 Sports Radio,
He doesn’t appear to be making it.
Jordan Phillips of the Buffalo Bills will be missed on the inside.
Phillips is an anchor on the interior defensive line for the Bills. Not only that, but the Bills are relatively thin at the position as they make a run at the postseason.
Buffalo’s healthy defensive tackles are Ed Oliver, Linval Joseph, Tim Settle, and Poona Ford. Despite the opening of his practice window, DaQuan Jones is still injured and will not play against the Chargers. Two more practice squad defensive tackles are available for promotion.
Ford was a healthy scratch in recent games, and he will likely be the tackle that is filling in for Phillips. Phillips has 2.5 sacks this season, and one of those sacks came during the game in which he sustained the injury. Phillips started nine of the 14 games he played in this season.
Despite coming off of one of the best defensive performances on the year, the Bills will still miss veteran Micah Hyde in the secondary. Hyde accrued 49 tackles, two interceptions and five pass break-ups in the 12 weeks he played.
Hyde amassed over 70 tackles in four of the six seasons he played with the Bills. The two seasons in which he did not, 2018 and 2022, were seasons that did not see Hyde play a full season.
The former Green Bay Packer has 639 tackles and 24 interceptions throughout his entire career. He started 126 times in his over a decade-long career.
Buffalo Bills safety Taylor Rapp replaced Hyde in his absence. Rapp had a season-high eight tackles against the Cowboys. He now has 39 total tackles on the season. Rapp and Hyde are both in the top 10 in tackles for the Bills this season.
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