1. Two Bills tight ends on the roster for the Jets game
The Bills announced yesterday that Dawson Knox tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. With the NFL's contact tracing protocols, tight ends Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney and Nate Becker were also placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Those four players will be out for today's game. The Bills will have Tyler Kroft and Reggie Gilliam at the tight end position. The veteran Kroft has started two games for the Bills this season and has six receptions for 36 yards and two touchdowns. Gilliam joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent and switched from fullback to tight end before the start of the season. His lone reception of the year came in Week 2 against the Dolphins and it was a one-yard touchdown grab. If Gilliam has a touchdown with his next reception in today's game against the Jets, he will become the fourth player in team history to score touchdowns on his first two receptions. He would join offensive guard Mitch Frerotte, defensive end Ryan Denney, and left tackle Dion Dawkins with that honor.
2. Bleacher Report thinks this Bills player needs more playing time
Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski came up with his list of players he believes needs to see more playing time. For the Bills, they picked defensive lineman Justin Zimmer. He will be playing in his third game of the season and will be looking to get his first NFL sack.
Buffalo Bills: Justin Zimmer
The Buffalo Bills coaching staff sent a message Monday when it benched and deactivated defensive linemen, Trent Murphy and Harrison Phillips. "Just, those two are good players, just wanted to get some looks at other guys who've practiced well and see if we can change things up a little bit," head coach Sean McDermott told reporters. Justin Zimmer must have been one of the guys McDermott alluded to because the journeyman didn't disappoint. Zimmer played well against the Kansas City Chiefs with six total tackles and half a tackle for loss. His effort throughout the contest was easily identifiable, and he thrived when playing over the center. As a reward, the Bills signed Zimmer from the practice squad Wednesday after being a call-up during the previous contest.
3. Jets expected to get two young players back on offense
The Bills and Jets are both heading into today's game with a list of injured players. The Jets have three players doubtful to play, and four that are questionable. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is one of the players with a questionable game status, but he is expected to play. Jets head coach Adam Gase told the media on Friday that, "things are trending in the right direction, so hopefully, barring any setbacks, we'll get him going this Sunday."
Sam Darnold has a 2-2 record against the Bills and has a 64.7 completion percentage against them. In the four games against the Bills, the former third-overall pick has 759 passing yards, and four touchdowns passes. The Bills defense has forced three interceptions and sacked him nine times in those matchups.
The Jets also announced that they activated rookie receiver Denzel Mims from Injured Reserve. The Baylor product missed the first six games with a hamstring injury and is set to make his NFL debut today. With Jamison Crowder being downgraded to doubtful for the game, Mims would join Breshad Perriman as the Jets top two receiving threats for the Bills to have to cover.
