Orchard Park, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht sustained a torn Achilles in Sunday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The injury happened in the fourth quarter as the Bills defensive line was ambushing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Hoecht was rushing off the left edge and his leg gave out without any contact.
Hoecht immediately tried limping off the field, but couldn’t get there and called for trainers to come out to assist. He finally got to the Bills’ bench and was quickly ruled out for the game.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said after the game that Hoecht refused the cart that had come onto the field to help get him to the locker room. He wanted to stay out on the bench and watch the end of the game.
“He wanted to see the game,” McDermott said. “That’s just awesome. I feel terrible for him.”
Hoecht made an immediate impact for the Bills last week in his season debut with 1.5 sacks in a win over the Carolina Panthers. He followed that up with another half-sack this week while helping to corral Mahomes all game. The Bills pressured Mahomes on 52% of his dropbacks in Buffalo’s 28-21 win on Sunday. That’s almost 15% higher pressure rate than any of the previous nine matchups against the Chiefs in the Sean McDermott era. Mahomes completed just 3 of 16 passes for 61 yards and an interception when pressured.
Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa was one of the players who feasted on the rush. He finished one sack and five quarterback hits, leading the Buffalo barrage.
He said after the game that the Hoecht injury is a massive loss to the Bills’ defense.
“It sucks,” Bosa said. “There’s really nothing to say. We’ll be there for him. Hopefully, he’ll be around with the guys because I know what it’s like going through an injury. It sucks going through it alone. We’ll just be there for him best we can.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.