Bills vs Raiders: Midweek Injury Trends

The Buffalo Bills will host the Las Vegas Raiders at Highmark Stadium on Sunday, and, barring anything crazy, they should have their full roster ready to go.

Here’s a look at how both teams are trending in terms of injuries as they prepare for their Week 2 matchup.

Buffalo Bills Trending Up

• C Mitch Morse (finger)

Morse has been the only name on the Bills’ injury list this week. The veteran center injured a finger on his non-snapping hand during the third quarter of Monday night’s game against the New York Jets. While nothing was officially said, it can be assumed that the x-rays taken after Monday night’s game were negative as he has been a full participant all week. There is no reason to think that the Bills’ starting center won’t be on the field Sunday afternoon.

With one more day of practice, it looks like the Buffalo Bills will once again head into the weekend as a completely healthy team — leaving head coach Sean McDermott with some tough decisions when it comes to game-day inactives.

Las Vegas Raiders Trending Up

• WR Devante Adams (foot)
• QB Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle)
• S Tre’von Moehrig (thumb)

There was no indication that Devante Adams was injured in the Raiders’ Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos. The veteran receiver, who is in his tenth season in the NFL, didn’t practice on Wednesday but was listed as a full participant today. I would expect to see him in uniform on Sunday in Buffalo.

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo appeared to have tweaked his ankle on Sunday, but the injury wasn’t enough to take him out of the game. While he was limited yesterday, the 31-year-old QB was a full participant on Thursday — a good sign that he’ll be under center this weekend.

Safety Tre’von Moehrig didn’t’ practice on Wednesday due to a thumb injury. Moehrig recorded five tackles before exiting Sunday’s game in Denver. Whatever was wrong with the third-year defensive back’s thumb must have been manageable as he was a full participant in today’s practice.

Las Vegas Raiders Holding Steady

• WR Deandre Carter (knee)
• OT Jermaine Eluemunor (ankle)

Deandre Carter spent all of last week as a limited participant in the Raiders’ practices leading up to their trip to Empower Field at Mile High. The 30-year-old wide receiver, who has spent his career bouncing around the league — most recently with the Los Angeles Chargers — and signed with the Raiders this offseason, was only on the field for nine snaps last Sunday. He started this week as a DNP during Wednesday’s practice but managed to move up to a limited participant today. Whether he plays on Sunday is still up in the air, but, with Jakobi Meyers still in concussion protocol, it’s safe to say that the Raiders are hoping he’ll be ready to run.

Offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor’s ankle injury is new. He was not on the team’s injury list yesterday but now appears as a limited participant. Given a history of an ankle injury midway through last season, whether this is something new or just some general soreness/weakness of an old injury is something to keep an eye on.

Las Vegas Raiders Trending Down

• DE Chandler Jones (NIR/personal)
• WR Jakobi Meyers (concussion)
• G Jordan Meredith (calf)

Chandler Jones is a whole other story. The Raiders’ defensive end didn’t practice at all last week, he didn’t play Sunday, and he hasn’t practiced at all this week — all due to personal reasons. While no one is saying what those personal reasons are, Sports Illustrated insider Hondo Carpenter was quoted this week as saying that Jones’ return is “not imminent at all.”

Jakobi Meyers left Sunday’s game and has been in concussion protocol ever since. Meyers’ injury came late in the game when he slipped on the wet field in Denver and was hit in the head by an elbow from Broncos’ safety Kareem Jackson. With Meyers, who is playing in his first season with the Raiders after spending the first four years of his career with the New England Patriots, still a non-participant — it’s highly unlikely that he’ll be able to complete all steps of the league’s concussion protocol before Sunday’s game.

Jordan Meredith played a total of three snaps in the Raiders’ Week 1 victory, and all of those came on special teams. There has been nothing to say how or when the offensive guard injured his calf, but he’s moved from a limited participant on Wednesday to not practicing at all today. With Meredith headed in the wrong direction, and only one more day of practice before the Raiders have to head east, it would seem that Las Vegas may be taking the field with just two offensive guards active — one of whom is former Buffalo Bill Greg Van Roten. It might also be interesting to note that Meredith is listed as the team’s backup center as well as second on the depth chart for both guard positions.