The Buffalo Bills got a scare against the Houston Texans Sunday, but survived on a 34-yard TD pass by Josh Allen to Joshua Palmer with just 1:36 on the clock to take the 36-31 win.
Now, the Bills face an early-season quick turnaround that sees them face another 1-0 team that won a thriller in Week 1, the Detroit Lions, who got past the New Orleans Saints 31-30 in overtime Sunday.
Just about 24 hours before the Thursday Night Football game, the Bills announced decisions on two key players for the Lions clash.
The Bills announced that Cole Bishop and Ty Johnson each carry designations of “questionable” into Thursday night’s game, each coping with a different injury on a short week.
Buffalo’s defense leans heavily on Bishop and its backfield rotation counts on Johnson, and a four-day turnaround leaves little time for either health issue to fully clear before kickoff.
Bills’ Bishop, Johnson Injury Details
Bishop’s tag covers his left knee and groin injuries. He hurt the knee helping bring down David Montgomery in the second quarter of Buffalo’s Week 1 win at Houston. Bishop limped off to the medical tent and returned to finish the game with seven tackles across roughly 72 of 79 defensive snaps.
He also had an offseason procedure on that same knee, missing spring work before returning healthy in time for training camp, according to Buffalo Rumblings. Bishop practiced fully Monday, then dropped to limited Tuesday and Wednesday.
Johnson’s issue is a hamstring that dates to an Aug. 8 practice at the new Highmark Stadium, where he grabbed the back of his leg during a one-on-one drill and needed help off the field, according to a ClutchPoints report. He missed most of camp, sat out Week 1 against Houston and remains limited for a second straight week.
Buffalo listed Bishop, Johnson and defensive lineman T.J. Sanders as questionable on its final Week 2 report, according to ProFootballTalk. Sanders missed Tuesday’s session with an illness and was limited Wednesday, while linebacker Terrel Bernard practiced through a calf issue carrying no designation at all.
Based on historical trends, the outlook looks decent for Bishop and Johnson as far as Thursday is concerned. Skill-position players listed as questionable on a final injury report from 2017 through 2024 played 70.7 percent of the time, according to Footballguys injury analyst Adam Hutchison. “Doubtful” players played just 6.9 percent of the time in that sample. A separate post-2016 study found the rate climbed to roughly 73 percent from the 60-to-65 range, according to sports analyst Zach Binney.
What Bishop, Johnson Absences Would Mean vs. Lions
Bishop played nearly every defensive snap last week, and Damar Hamlin would step in if he sits. Hamlin had trouble at times against Houston’s passing attack in Week 1, and Detroit still throws to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta behind running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Johnson’s absence changes less. Buffalo already leaned on James Cook without him in the opener, when Cook ran a route on half of the offense’s dropbacks, according to Sharp Football Analysis‘ Rich Hribar. Frank Gore Jr., elevated from the practice squad last week, would likely handle Johnson’s third-down and special-teams snaps again.
Detroit has its own issues up front. Left guard Christian Mahogany (hip) and rookie right tackle Blake Miller (knee) both were injured in Week 1, according to CBS Sports. Buffalo hosts the Lions at new Highmark Stadium for the first regular-season game there, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. EDT on Amazon Prime Video, and both questionable tags figure to firm up closer to game time.
Bills Announce Decisions on 2 Key Players Before Thursday Night Lions Game