Bills start Jets week with Matt Milano, Jordan Phillips not practicing

The news is better for left tackle Dion Dawkins (as well as David Quessenberry), who will both be limited on Wednesday

The Buffalo Bills have a one-game lead atop the AFC East, and this week they face off against the division rival New York Jets, who already beat them once and set them on a path where they had to fight their way back to that top spot over the past month.

While the Bills are healthier now, they are still missing key pieces on both offense and defense as they practice this week.

Along with the big news that edge rusher Von Miller is now out for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear, head coach Sean McDermott said that both defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and linebacker Matt Milano will not be practicing today.

Phillips is struggling with a shoulder injury that he suffered in garbage time last Thursday, when the Bills beat the New England Patriots. Phillips was attempting to chase down New England quarterback Mac Jones when he hit the turf hard on a diving attempt to sack Jones. Phillips was later seen with his right arm in a sling.

Milano’s injury wasn’t apparent, and when questioned, McDermott said that he was “dealing with some kind of leg-knee issue.” In true McDermott fashion, however, the head coach said that Milano was considered “day to day.”

On the offensive side of the ball, fullback Reggie Gilliam is still not practicing, while starting left tackle Dion Dawkins and his replacement in last week’s game, David Quessenberry, will both practice in a limited fashion today. The trio is dealing with ankle injuries — the bane of the Bills’ injury list this season.

Dawkins injured his ankle right before halftime in the same game that Buffalo lost Miller. While the offensive tackle seemed to be moving around well on the sidelines on Thanksgiving Day, the Bills chose to sit him out of the game at Gillette Stadium last week. His replacement, Quessenberry, was injured on the first offensive drive. After getting re-taped on the sideline while Bills kicker Tyler Bass put the team up 3-0, Quessenberry was back in on offense for most of the rest of the game. While he was seen struggling, the fifth-year veteran, who spent the last three years with the Tennessee Titans, understood the importance of the Week 13 game, toughing it out until late in the fourth quarter.

We will update later today with a complete injury list, as well as a report from the New York Jets when that information becomes available.