The final stretch of the regular season looms large with Week 14’s clash between the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals. Ahead of their matchup, here’s the final injury report for both squads.

For the Bills, 11 players cropped up on the injury report. The biggest blow for them will be the absence of linebacker Terrell Bernard and defensive end Joey Bosa. Bernard had injured his elbow in the Week 12 game against the Houston Texans and left the field with his arm in a sling. He hasn’t practiced since then and is ruled out for Week 14.

As for Joey Bosa, he exited the field with a hamstring injury early in their Week 13 clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He did not participate in practices this week and has a “week-to-week” status. He’s not playing Sunday against Cincy. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe states that the Bills “are hoping it’s 1-2 weeks instead of 4-5 weeks. But [to be determined] right now.” 

Across 12 games this season, Bosa had already racked up 5 sacks, 41 pressures and 26 tackles. The Bills will definitely need their edge rusher back if they want to keep their playoff spot open.

Meanwhile, wide receiver Josh Palmer (knee/ankle) is listed as doubtful for the Sunday matchup with practice reps this week. Offensive lineman Spencer Brown (shoulder) and tight end Dalton Kincaid (hamstring/knee) are both questionable, with both players getting limited practice throughout the week.

O-lineman Dion Dawkins (concussion) had been a limited participant on Wednesday and Thursday. But he was upgraded to a full participant on Friday and has been cleared to hit the field. Beyond Week 14, another big boost to the Bills is around DT Ed Oliver. Oliver has been dealing with a biceps injury, but head coach Sean McDermott notes that he could get back on the practice field if the Bills can reach the playoffs. 

As for the Cincinnati Bengals, their injury report consists of fewer names. For a team looking to improve their 4-8 record, their team feels healthier to take on the Bills.

Cincinnati gets an offensive boost with Tee Higgins

There are no players on the Bengals’ injury report with a questionable designation, which is certainly a cause for optimism. And beyond that, Cincy’s offense is finally getting back to full strength. Only 8 players appear on the injury report for the Bengals, and the report brings a positive update on wide receiver Tee Higgins.

In their Week 12 loss to the New England Patriots, Tee Higgins hit his head on the turf and remained motionless for some time. He got carted off the field with a little less than five minutes left in the game. Since then, he has been navigating the concussion protocol and missed the Week 13 matchup against the Steelers. But he has finally cleared the protocol. He was a limited participant on Wednesday, but got upgraded to a full participant since then. He’s good to go.

Beyond Higgins, running back Chase Brown (calf) and wide receiver Jermaine Burton (ankle) were both full participants throughout the week and are ready to go. Running back Tahj Brooks (concussion) has also cleared the protocol and is ready for action.

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The biggest injury for the Bengals’ defense remains the hip/pelvis injury to star defensive end Trey Hendrickson. He is the only player marked as out for the Week 14 matchup. Hendrickson has been sidelined since he re-aggravated his hip injury in Week 8 against the New York Jets. The Bengals game will mark the 5th contest he will miss as he still hasn’t been able to practice.

Linebacker Shaka Heyward (fibula) has finally exited the injury reserve this week. Heyward suffered a hairline fracture of his fibula in their Week 8 loss to the Jets, and has been missing from action ever since. This week, he has been a limited participant and is listed as doubtful as he continues his 21-day practice window.

The Bengals have fewer players on their list compared to Buffalo. But the Bills will be trying to win Week 14 to retain their wildcard spot in the playoffs. With a home-field advantage at Highmark Stadium, the Bills are currently favored to win this matchup. But with Cincy’s offense looking sharper, don’t count them out just yet.