Matt Milano
Getty
Bills linebacker Matt Milano at MetLife Stadium on September 11, 2023.
The Buffalo Bills left the Meadowlands on Sunday with a big win over the New York Jets and a key early lead in the division, but also suffered a setback that could hurt them in their short week.
The Bills dispatched the Jets 30-10, dominating on both sides of the ball before giving up a touchdown drive in garbage time. They didn’t exactly leave unscathed, however, with quarterback Josh Allen suffering a painful nose injury and playmaker Matt Milano getting dinged up.
With just four days left before the Bills take the field again, it’s not clear if Milano will be back in time.
Matt Milano Among Injured on Sunday
The Bills were already missing two key starters when defensive tackle Ed Oliver and nickel cornerback Taron Johnson were hurt during the week. Milano played well in the first half of Sunday’s win, but he was sidelined for the second half.
As Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reported, the Bills didn’t seem overly concerned about Milano’s injury.
“Then, during the game, the Bills began the second half with linebacker Matt Milano standing on the sidelines with a new brace on his arm that he wasn’t using to begin the game. The Bills said Milano got ‘dinged’ during the game,” Buscaglia reported.
Since the Bills play again on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins, Buscaglia wrote that it’s not clear if Milano has time to clear even the minor injury — as well as Oliver and Johnson.
“With a game in just four days, it’s a matter of whether the Bills will have any of that defensive trio available to play the Dolphins,” Buscaglia wrote. “The context clues of how they all looked on Sunday are not exactly promising, and the Bills may just want to play it safe given that they’ll have a 10-day break ahead of their Week 4 game. The Bills may need to do it again in Week 3 with a makeshift group in key areas.”
Josh Allen Bloodied in Win
Allen was briefly knocked out of the game late in the second quarter when he was tackled on a run up the middle and left with a bloody nose. He was relieved by backup Mitch Trubisky, who completed a 32-yard pass on a third-down play to extend the scoring drive.
Allen — sporting a noticeably swollen nose — told reporters after the game that he should have handed the ball to running back James Cook rather than keeping it himself.
“Pulled it when I probably should have handed it off,” Allen said. “I tried to throw it, and I saw him push, decided to tuck it. I don’t know what hit me. It was a knee, it was a hand, it was somebody, helmet. It just kind of came down right on the bridge of my nose and just started leaking.”
Allen said in his postgame interview that he didn’t need X-rays, and he is not expected to be in danger of missing Thursday’s game against the Dolphins. The Bills have a chance to move to 3-0, building putting some early space in their division lead.