At this point, heading into Week 13 with a 7-4 record and clinging to the seventh and final AFC playoff spot, every game is effectively a must-win for the Buffalo Bills. They face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the road in a nationally televised game Sunday afternoon. A loss could knock the Bills out of the playoff picture completely, potentially dropping them to the ninth seed.
The Bills outbreak of injuries, with 13 players listed on their initial report Wednesday, is even more concerning than it might otherwise be. And of those 13, the most concerning may be four-time Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins.
Why Dawkins? In the Bills struggles, pass protection for reigning NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen has been a crucial shortcoming. As the starting left tackle, Dawkins holds the primary responsibility for protecting the right-handed Allen’s blind side. The likely future Hall of Fame quarterback has already been sacked 28 times this season, and five of those sacks â almost 20 percent â have been directly attributed to Dawkins.
Dawkins Initially Cleared of Concussion
The 28 sacks would be the third-most of Allen’s eight-year career, and the Bills still have six games remaining to play.
But after he did not practice on Wednesday due to a condition that appears more serious than initially believed, Dawkins now appears headed for the inactive list on Sunday, leaving Allen to face T.J. Watt and the Steelers pass rush with only third-year undrafted free agent Ryan Van Demark as his top blindside protection.
Dawkins’ problems may be even more serious, however. Late in the first quarter of the Bills’ November 20 Thursday Night Football game against the Houston Texans â a game the Bills lost 23-19 â the nine-year veteran who signed a $60 million contract extension before last season was forced to leave the game to be examined for a possible concussion.
Dawkins was cleared at the time and returned to the field just a few plays later, for the rest of the game. Allen was sacked a career-high eight times in that game.
Dawkins May Have ‘Played Through’ Concussion
But the following day, Dawkins reported feeling symptoms of a concussion after all. He was placed in the NFL’s concussion protocol, and appears unlikely to be active on Sunday against the Steelers.
In order to be cleared from the concussion protocol, players must take part in full practice, with no limitations, on the final practice day of the week â Friday, in this case â as well as pass a neurological exam to play in that week’s game.
According to scientific studies, the fact that Dawkins was apparently playing through the concussion against the Texans could increase his recovery time, potentially jeopardizing not only his participation in the Steelers game, but the Bills Week 14 home contest against the Cincinnati Bengals as well.
Longer Recovery Times After Playing With Concussion
One 2016 study, conducted on high school players, found that those who were immediately removed from games after suffering possible concussions experienced recovery times as fast as those who “played through it.”
Another study found that players who attempted to play through concussions needed five days longer to recover than those who stopped playing immediately, even if they suffered no second impact to the head.
Dawkins was criticized for sloppy play in the game against Houston, including a crucial false start penalty on the Bills’ final drive with just 24 seconds on the clock.
The penalty turned a fourth-and-1 situation in the Red Zone into a fourth-and-6, putting Allen in a must-pass situation. His throw on the subsequent play was intercepted, ending the Bills’ chances.
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