Buffalo Bills S Micah Hyde suffers stinger in loss to Bengals

The Buffalo Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football, but the bigger loss is once again to the team’s defensive roster.

The Bills lost Terrel Bernard before halftime when the second-year linebacker suffered a concussion. Then, late in the game, safety Micah Hyde left the game to get medical attention. After being evaluated, Hyde was listed as questionable — although he never did return to play — with a stinger.

The injury came when the 11-year veteran was blindsided late by Bengals guard Cordell Volson.

After trainers met him on the field, Hyde was seen on one knee on the sideline flexing a hand — presumably to check for numbness and/or tingling. Soon after the Bills made the official announcement.

The injury was the second of the night for Hyde who landed hard, hitting his head, before halftime but only missed a single play.

Hyde missed almost the entirety of last season after suffering a neck injury that required surgery in September 2022, but has had 35 combined tackles, three passes defensed, and two interceptions this season. The concern here would be if any damage has been done to his neck — regardless of whether it is at the spot of the previous injury or somewhere else.

On a team level, the concern is that the Bills now only have two healthy linebackers — not including Tyler Matakevich who is used almost exclusively for special teams — and has been using either Jordan Poyer or Taylor Rapp to assist in a dime package. If Hyde and/or Bernard have to miss any significant time, things are going to get that much more difficult for the already barely treading-water Buffalo defense.