Week 11 of the 2024 NFL season will bring us a must-watch showdown between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. After suffering multiple playoff losses to Andy Reid‘s team in recent years, Sean McDermott and Josh Allen have an opportunity to end with the visitors’ winning streak.
However, they’ll have to try and do so without a key weapon. Speaking to reporters on Monday, McDermott confirmed that wide receiver Keon Coleman will not play for the Bills against the Chiefs.
“I’m being told by the trainers, we still feel like he is improving,” McDermott said of the rookie wideout, via the Bills’ official website. “It’s just not a situation where we expect him back this week.”
Coleman, 21, suffered a wrist injury late in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins. Allen missed him the following week, but Buffalo still got the win against the Indianapolis Colts.
Before hurting his hand, the Florida State product recorded 22 catches for 417 yards with three touchdowns this year. Coleman was drafted 33rd overall by the Bills in the 2024 NFL Draft. Curiously, Buffalo originally had the 28th selection, which the team traded to Kansas City, who used it to land Xavier Worthy. Not long ago, Bills GM Brandon Beane defended this controversial trade.
Allen, McDermott could miss more Bills weapons vs Chiefs
While Coleman is already ruled out for Sunday’s game, Allen could miss even more weapons against the Chiefs, with wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end Dalton Kincaid still questionable.
Just like Coleman, the former is dealing with a wrist injury that also ruled him out of the Colts game last week. Cooper, 30, joined Buffalo via trade from the Cleveland Browns in October.
Meanwhile, Kincaid’s presence remains unclear as the tight end hurt his knee while diving for a ball in the first half against Indianapolis. “Thought I could go and just didn’t feel good enough to run and be able to go out there and protect myself,” the tight end said as he attempted to return after halftime before exiting the game for good.
“We’ll see how he fares the next couple of days,” McDermott said about Kincaid, who has been a key target for Allen in the 2024 NFL season by making 34 catches for 356 yards with two touchdowns.
Reid, Mahomes may recover key Chiefs players against the Bills
Injuries have been an even bigger problem for the Chiefs this year, even if Kansas City hasn’t lost since 2023. Patrick Mahomes has been playing without key pass catchers as the likes of Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, and Isiah Pacheco got injured early in the season.
However, Reid suggested that Mahomes could recover key players to face the Bills. Pacheco is designated to return to practice this week, whereas wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster could be ready to play after dealing with a hamstring injury.