The Buffalo Bills may be without their starting offensive tackles today, but they have other offensive reinforcements playing in this game. WRs Brandin Cooks and Keon Coleman are both expected to play, per Ian Rapoport on X.
“They head into their showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers unbelievably banged up. They don’t have both of their starting tackles. But they do get an infusion of talent at the wide receiver position,” Rapoport said. “My understanding is that Brandin Cooks, who recently signed after being released by the Saints, is expected to be active today. And then Keon Coleman, who has been in the doghouse I think it’s fair to say for the last couple weeks, is expected to be active today. We’ll see how many snaps he gets, but is expected to be active.”
This game is exceedingly important for both teams in the AFC Wild Card race. The Bills currently hold a playoff spot at 7-4, but the Steelers have a chance to even the records with a win. They would also hold an important head-to-head tiebreaker over them, and another tally in the conference record win column.
Coleman was benched for disciplinary reasons for the last couple weeks, but was considered a starter for most of the season before that. In nine games this year, he has caught 32 of his 49 targets for 330 yards and three TDs. Cooks has been a top receiver in the league for many years, but showed clear signs of decline in year 12 with the New Orleans Saints. In 10 games, he has 19 receptions on 25 targets for 165 yards.
The Bills recently sent WR Curtis Samuel to IR with elbow and knee injuries. Joshua Palmer was also given a questionable game status designation against the Steelers with an ankle injury that limited him for most of the week. It’s not surprising that they are using all healthy WRs available to them in this important game.
