Consulting With The Coaches

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Sean McDermott provides injury updates after Week 12 and how the team is moving forward

Nov 21, 2025 at 08:41 PM

Seven different players were evaluated for injuries during Thursday night's game against the Texans.

WR Khalil Shakir (concussion - cleared), LT Dion Dawkins (concussion – cleared), CB Christian Benford (shoulder – cleared), DE A.J. Epenesa (neck – cleared), LT Spencer Brown (shoulder – cleared but did not finish game), CB Maxwell Hairston (concussion – did not return) and LB Terrel Bernard (elbow – did not return) all exited the game at various points to be looked at by Bills athletic trainers.

Brown was originally cleared to return but exited the game a second time and did not return.

Head coach Sean McDermott met with the media on Friday afternoon and provided several injury updates following the game.

Quarterback Josh Allen did not miss a play during Thursday's game but did go down after getting sacked from behind during the first quarter.

"Josh Allen is sore, but we expect him to be fine," McDermott said.

McDermott announced Bernard is week to week and are unsure about Brown's status.

"We'll have to see. Still gathering some information," McDermott said of Brown.

In terms of Bernard or Brown going to Injured Reserve, McDermott said "potentially."

"I just don't know any more (information), it's still early," McDermott said of the two. "It doesn't look good for, I'll say, this week, but we'll see."

McDermott also said Hairston is currently in concussion protocol. Since Epenesa and Benford returned, he believes the two "should be fine."

TE Dalton Kincaid (hamstring), WR Curtis Samuel (elbow/neck) and DT Phidarian Mathis (shoulder) all did not play against Houston, but McDermott believes they are getting healthier.

"They're all improving, and we'll see where they go this week. We'll take it one day at a time," McDermott explained.

Having seven different players be examined for injuries in the same game is not common. With the Bills bitten by the injury bug through a lot of the season, McDermott said his team showed a 'next man up' mentality again last night.

"It's kind of been a revolving seat, if you will, of who's going down and who has to step up," McDermott said of the injuries this season. "And some guys have been lost that won't ever come back the rest of the season, and other guys will hopefully get back at some point here. So, I'm real proud of the team and the way that they've been resilient over the course of the season."

Four defensive players exited the game at various points and two returned. Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich was proud of how his players stepped up for those who went down.

"Like, always, our guys are ready to go. They don't flinch," Babich said of his depth. "We rep it that way. They know that they're a play away. And everybody's held to the same standard here…It doesn't matter if you're the first, second or third that would go into the game at a certain position, that standard doesn't change."

Update on Keon Coleman's personal growth since Tampa Bay

McDermott gave an update on wide receiver Keon Coleman on Friday. Coleman was sidelined for the Tampa Bay game due to being late for a team meeting, then was a healthy scratch against Houston. Despite his Thursday night absence, McDermott said that Coleman's day-by-day improvement is trending in the right direction.

"I'm encouraged by what I've seen in the small window of time since the Tampa game, and we take it one day at a time," McDermott said.

Due to the short turnaround from Sunday into Thursday, McDermott and his staff didn't want to rush Coleman's personal growth and development. Brady said he and the staff make sure they're there for Coleman through this journey. Returning to the active game day roster, McDermott believes Coleman is instilling winning habits in order to do so.

"It's really about making sure we're taking the proper steps every day that lead to winning," McDermott said. "If you want to win, you got to have winning habits and that's important. So, we see winning habits, then he's in the conversation as we move forward every week."

Effort is praised, but improvements still need to be made

Buffalo had a 13-play drive at the end of the fourth quarter in attempts to take the lead and win the game. Joe Brady said he told his offense to give it all it had and "empty the tank." While the ideal result did not come to fruition, Brady and Sean McDermott were not displeased with how hard Josh Allen and the offense fought through the final few seconds.

"As long as there's time on the scoreboard, we got a chance, and it was fourth-and-27. Didn't blink," Brady said. "… The guys just executed – and we asked them to empty their tank, and they emptied it. We didn't get the result, but the guys were rising the role the whole way."

That effort that extended all the way through the end of the fourth quarter is the resiliency McDermott praised on Friday. The opportunities that weren't capitalized on weren't indicative of which team wanted it more, but rather where improvement needs to be made.

"Our players wanted it," McDermott said. "You look at that room after the game, that locker room, they were exhausted and they gave everything they had."

Allen was sacked eight times on Thursday, something McDermott and Brady didn't want to see. It's one area McDermott emphasized needs improvement.

"We need to be better there," McDermott said. "We absolutely do. We need to better there. If we want to win or give ourselves a chance to win, we have to be there."