Getty Buffalo Bills safety Jordan Poyer #21 looks on before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
While the Buffalo Bills‘ 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was a record-breaking afternoon for the franchise, it’s even more impressive considering they did it without several key defensive starters, including safety Jordan Poyer.
Poyer, who sat out against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 due to a foot injury, came back with a vengeance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 4. During that breakout, two-interception game, which earned him the honor of AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week, Poyer suffered a rib injury.
The 31-year-old was a non-participant in practice all last week, and the Bills pre-emptively announced on Friday that he would not suit up for their matchup against the Steelers on Sunday, October 9 — a game Buffalo was deemed 14-point favorites to win. However, according to The Poni Express host Andrew Fillipponi, who previously covered the Bills as an anchor for WGR 550 before moving to Pittsburgh, Poyer could’ve played against the Steelers, but chose not to.
Fillipponi tweeted, “I had someone I trust in Bills media tell me that all-pro Jordan Poyer would have played yesterday if they were playing a better team. Like the Chiefs. Thought the Steelers were good team to rest the guy against. Wow.”
Never give up on a play 🗣
@J_poyer21 game-saving INT was a heads-up move with a little extra hustle.
A Steelers fan was not happy to see this report. He tweeted, “Dude should talk to his teammate @VonMiller after all the hot air he put out last week about ‘nobody thinking [the Steelers were] underdogs.’ Couldn’t shut up about it while his own teammate was using the same logic to decide whether he’d take the field. Classic.”
The radio host’s surprised reaction ruffled a lot of feathers on Twitter. One person responded, “‘Wow.’ You’re shocked by that. Even after watching the game Sunday,” while another person clapped back, “Delusions of grandeur demanding respect? Buffalo had years where teams would have said this about them as well.”
The bulk of fans didn’t see this as a sign of disrespect, but a much-earned privilege for Buffalo. One man tweeted, “It’s not a knock against the Steelers as much as it is reality. Teams were able to do this the greater part of 20 years against the Bills because they sucked for so long too and they were always a ‘get back on track’ type of game for an opposing team sadly,” while a Bills fan quipped, “Bills roster is STACKED. Bills would’ve beat the steelers with Case Keenum and 2nd n 3rd stringers 😂.”
Jordan Poyer is the Week 4 AFC DPOTW ⭐️
For many, the decision to give Poyer an extra week of rest before facing the Chiefs in Week 6 was a no-brainer, especially with Micah Hyde on IR. Cover 1 host Greg Vorse tweeted, “Poyer has missed 40% of the #Bills games – still leads the NFL in picks,” while SB Nation’s Matt Warren pointed out Buffalo “did something similar last year against Houston.”
Bills head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Monday that he had high confidence in the team’s backups, and felt comfortable sitting starters that could use the extra rest. “We are at a pretty good spot with some of these guys getting healthy,” McDermott said of their list of injured players, per Buffalo Rumblings. “Last week, we held some guys out that were getting close.”
The Bills Signed Saftey Jared Mayden on Monday, Creating Concern for Poyer’s Health
On Monday, the Bills signed Jared Mayden, a former Alabama standout, to the practice squad. Mayden started out his NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The 6-foot-0, 205-pound safety spent the bulk of his rookie year on the practice squad but was elevated to the active roster for two games.
In October 2021, the 24-year-old joined the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. He appeared in four regular-season games, participating in a total of 38 defensive snaps and 62 on special teams. Mayden signed a reserve/futures contract in January but failed to make the Eagles’ 53-man roster after hitting IR in mid-August and was ultimately released on September 20.
After Mayden signed with the Bills, there’s a worry that safety Jordan Poyer’s injury may be worse than we initially thought, which would put Fillippino’s report in question.
#Bills S Jordan Poyer injury.
Secured the INT in the end zone. Hits L shoulder in air with offensive player & then hit L side of back on ground.
Was talking to ortho on bench, later going for x-rays. Stated the wind was knocked out of him.
X-rays possible to check for rib inj.
One fan tweeted, “Hope that has nothing to do with Poyer not playing vs KC.”
The Bills have remained vague on giving updates on Poyer’s status. The latest update came on October 7, when Spectrum News 1 Buffalo reporter Jon Scott tweeted, “McDermott doesn’t want to get into specifics of Jordan Poyer’s injury, rather choosing to remain general with referring to it as rib injury and soreness around it.”
Bills Bye in Week 7 Could Affect Which Players Are Active vs. Chiefs
While the Bills need all the help they can get before their upcoming AFC showdown against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Week 6, Buffalo has their bye in Week 7, which could play a huge factor in which players will attempt to power through an injury.
WROC-TV’s Thad Brown tweeted, “McDermott says its not ‘off the table’ to consider holding guys out this week to get the extra rest with a bye after the Chiefs game’…. We’ll see where it goes.'”