The Buffalo Bills may not be at full strength for their Thursday night showdown against the New England Patriots.
Five players missed Monday’s practice with an “Illness” designation, including cornerback Dane Jackson. That total comes after several players missed Sunday’s with the same designation.
“It’s out there, right?” coach Sean McDermott said Monday. “Families have it and these guys are human beings so they pick it up sometimes, too.”
The Bills have dealt with a number of injuries this season. Most recently, linebacker Von Miller was forced to exit the team’s Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions due to a knee injury.
“Von will not play this week, and we’ll just see where it goes from there,” McDermott said. “There will be more testing and whatnot that gets involved. But I’ll just keep it at that for now.”
At 8-3, the Bills are in second in a very competitive AFC East. The 6-5 Patriots are last in the four-team division, with every game mattering down the stretch. They’ll play one another twice down the stretch, beginning with this week’s clash.
The game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough will mark their first matchup since last year’s Wild Card round when Josh Allen and Co. torched New England, 47-17.
