The Buffalo Bills were already coming into their game-of-the-week matchup against the Miami Dolphins and their explosive passing game lighter than they’d like on defense. Cornerbacks Tre’Davious White (ACL) and Dane Jackson (neck) are out, as is defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (hamstring) and safety Micah Hyde (neck).
On Saturday morning, the news went from bad to worse when Jack Bechta, Hyde’s agent, revealed that Hyde’s neck injury, which he suffered in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans, will cause him to miss the rest of the 2022 season.
This is obviously a major blow to Buffalo’s league-best defense, as Hyde and Jordan Poyer have comprised the NFL’s best safety duo for a few years now. By the way, Poyer will probably be a game-time decision with a foot injury. So, ouch.
Beyond whatever happens against the Dolphins, how do the Bills get past this? They are viewed as the prohibitive Super Bowl favorites in the AFC, and for good reason, but as much as they’ll miss Hyde, head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier must adopt the “Next Man Up” philosophy as they go.
“I know we have a number of injuries here, but I remain very confident in our football team, and very confident in the back end,” Sean McDermott said this week.
That was more about rookie cornerbacks Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford, who will be on the field in place of White and Jackson, but it now must apply to Hyde’s position.