With a short week to prepare for the AFC Divisional game, the Buffalo Bills have ruled out two key players for its game against the Denver Broncos.
The Buffalo Bills are preparing for their AFC Divisional game against the Denver Broncos on Saturday afternoon. With the team being on a shorter week, decisions had to be made regarding the playing status of a few players.
While some are still being considered to play, two key contributors have already been officially ruled out for the game.
During an appearance on WGR 550 AM in Buffalo on Thursday morning, Bills head coach Sean McDermott confirmed that cornerback Maxwell Hairston and safety Jordan Poyer won't play against the Broncos.
Hairston also missed last week's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars after suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter the Buffalo's Week 18 win over the New York Jets.
With Poyer, the veteran safety has been bothered by a hamstring injury for the last few weeks. He was good enough to return and play against Jacksonville in the AFC Wild Card, but reaggravated the injury. That saw him leave the game early and be listed as week-to-week on Monday.
Him playing was always unlikely, but now there's officially confirmation on that front.
While those two have been ruled out already for Saturday, there are other players the coaching staff is working towards making a decision on.
Safety Damar Hamlin had his practice window opened last week, and has been practicing in full this week. Another a full participant after being place on IR with an Elbow injury has been wide receiver Curtis Samuel. The Bills are down to just three healthy wide receivers. Samuel being able to play could provide the team a big boost after losing both Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers to torn ACLs.
Lastly, Ed Oliver returned to practice this week after suffering a torn bicep. Unlike Hamlin and Samuel, however, Oliver has been limited in his two practices. So, while a turn is possible, it might be more likely to see it happen should Buffalo win and advance to the AFC Championship game.
The Bills and Broncos are scheduled to kick off Saturday at 4:30pm ET on CBS. Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, and Tracy Wo