The Buffalo Bills lost to the New York Jets on Sunday, but even worse than a 27-23 defeat was losing one of their best young players on defense.
Second-year linebacker Matt Milano, who is in the midst of a breakout year, was carted off the field with 1:22 to go in the fourth quarter. Milano was attempting to tackle Jets’ quarterback Sam Darnold when his left ankle was pinned underneath him while trying to shed a block. His leg bent awkwardly, with all of his weight seeming to fall on the ankle.
Milano had 6 tackles, all of the solo variety, and 1 tackle for loss in the game. Afterward, head coach Sean McDermott did not provide an update on the injured linebacker during his press conference, merely saying that Milano was “being evaluated.” The team has characterized the injury as a “left foot injury.”
A brief from CBS Sports said that Milano was spotted hobbling around the locker room without his left shoe after the game, which is a fairly encouraging sign. After watching the injury live (here is a picture of the moment his ankle is pinned—the squeamish need not click it), it didn’t appear that Milano would be able to put any weight on the ankle at all, so if he can hobble, perhaps he avoided a worst-case scenario injury.
Milano is second on the Bills with 78 total tackles, and his 12 tackles for loss ties him with Jerry Hughes for the team lead in that category. Milano also has 3 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, 7 pass breakups, and 1 sack this season. By the looks of the injury, he may have played his last game in the 2018 season.
We will update this article when more information comes available.