Buffalo Bills lose two starters to injury against Atlanta Falcons

Before Week four, the Buffalo Bills had been extremely fortunate when it came to injuries. Things changed fast in the dramatic upset win over the Atlanta Falcons. Many starters and some key contributors will be on the shelf for a while.

Wide receiver Jordan Matthews suffered a thumb injury on one of the final drives of the game on Sunday. Head coach Sean McDermott announced Monday that the first-year Bill will require surgery. Although McDermott didn’t announce a timetable for his return, reports are that Matthews could be out for a month or longer.

Starting linebacker Ramon Humber will also need surgery for a broken thumb. Humber got his arm wrapped in a cast and attempted to play through it on Sunday, but was eventually shut down. There is also no timetable set for his return. Humber was leading the team in tackles this season, and now rookie now Matt Milano will likely have to take his place.

Safety Colt Anderson, who left the game early in the first quarter, will need surgery on his forearm and out indefintely. Anderson hadn’t been seen much on defense, thanks to the suburb play of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, but he was an extremely productive special teams player. Robert Blanton is a likely candidate to replace Anderson in the lineup.

Cornerback EJ Gaines, who left the game with a groin injury is currently listed as day-to-day according to McDermott. If Gaines misses any amount of time it could be significant because of the high caliber he has been playing at through four weeks.

McDermott also mentioned that Marcell Dareus not playing very many snaps on Sunday had to do partly with his ankle injury from a few weeks ago. He was not listed on Friday’s injury report.

The Bills will likely need to add a wide receiver. Walt Powell is coming off a suspension and looks to be a candidate as does practice squad UDFA Brandon Reilly.