‘Not looking good’: Bills’ Milano, Jones hurt in loss

LONDON — The impact of the Buffalo Bills‘ trip to London might be felt for some time.

The Bills had a number of players deal with injuries in the game, including Bills linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, neither of whom returned after the first quarter.

Coach Sean McDermott said after the game that Milano is dealing with “a knee, a lower leg. I know it’s not looking good right now, but I don’t know any details beyond that at this point.” McDermott said Jones, who has a pec injury, is “also not looking good at this point.”

Milano suffered what the team initially described as a knee injury in the first quarter of Buffalo’s 25-20 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

“You just keep playing,” pass-rusher Von Miller said. “We got a lot of depth on this team. We’re doing a good job of really building a team up with … quality players. You can’t replace DaQuan. You can’t replace Matt Milano. You can’t replace Tre [White]. That’s just part of the game. You know, it’s a terrible part of the game, you know, to get injuries and especially serious injuries. You just got to keep moving. I know it sounds cliche, but it’s really the only thing that we can do. It’s going to suck losing those guys, but we just got to keep taking it one step at a time.”

Milano sustained the injury on a third-and-6 play from the Bills’ 10-yard line on the Jaguars’ second drive. Trevor Lawrence threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Christian Kirk in the end zone with defensive tackle Ed Oliver applying early pressure and then multiple Bills defenders coming in to try to bring down the quarterback. Milano was among those defenders who came in late, falling on top of a pile of players. After the play, he was visibly shaken up, and athletic trainers had to support him off the field. He was later carted from the sideline to the locker room.

Bills defensive end Leonard Floyd and Jaguars offensive lineman Walker Little were also injured on the play. Floyd was able to return. Little did not come back into the game.

Rookie Dorian Williams initially came in for Milano, who is considered among the best linebackers in the NFL. The Bills also substituted in fourth-year linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who played 64.6% of defensive snaps and Williams the rest.

“[Losing Milano] was a setback for us,” McDermott said. “We were confident in Dorian who went out there and T. Dot was out there as well. I applaud those guys, T. Dot and Dorian going out there, not getting a lot of reps during the week, but going out there and having to perform.”

McDermott said part of what the Bills lose with Milano out is the rapport he has built with teammates, especially second-year middle linebacker Terrel Bernard.

Milano was a first-team All-Pro and named to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career last season. Milano, 29, has 27 tackles, 1 interception and 2 passes defended this season. In the offseason, the Bills signed him to a two-year contract extension through 2026.

“Just kind of like a gut punch, man,” Williams said. “I mean, we all love Mad Matt. Matt’s a well-loved guy in the entire building, just how much he’s done for me in this program. Just teaching me the little things and how tough of a guy he is. It definitely hurts to see him go down.”

Jones, with 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits this season, has been a consistent presence in the center of the Bills defensive line.

Milano and Jones’ injuries are among many for the Bills’ defense. Starting defensive end Greg Rousseau (foot), defensive end Shaq Lawson (toe) and starting cornerback Christian Benford (shoulder) missed the game and a number of players were in and out.

Last week, the Bills lost White for the season with a torn right Achilles. The depth of this defense will now be tested in a big way.

“It was like midway through the first, second quarter, you kind of look out there and some of the guys normally out there [are] kind of gone: Milano, [Jones],” safety Jordan Poyer said. “For the guys that stepped in, T. Dot I thought played extremely well, stepping in the role of Matt. We just got to find more ways to get some takeaways. We had two, definitely not enough. Obviously not enough, so continue to find ways, get some more takeaways and it’s game five. We’ve been here before, so we’ll find a way to bounce back.”