Patriots vs. Bills injury analysis: New England appears to have suffered only minor ailments in Week 16

Related: Patriots vs. Bills snap count report: New England keeps rotations tight in 33-21 loss

The New England Patriots’ game against the Buffalo Bills was a major disappointment. Not only did they get beaten 33-21 at home to drop to 9-6 on the season, they also lost first place in the AFC East and the No. 2 playoff seed in the conference as a result.

There is not a lot to feel good about at One Patriot Place on Monday. One exception, however, is the team’s collective injury status. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the game to find out who was dinged up and what it might mean in the grand scheme of things.

Injury analysis

CB J.C. Jackson: Following a short run by Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie, Jackson was seen grabbing his right forearm. The Pro Bowl cornerback had assisted with stopping the ballcarrier but appeared to either get hit or awkwardly twisted, forcing him to leave the field with members of New England’s training staff. Jackson missed only a handful of snaps, however, and eventually returned to finish with a playing time share of 94 percent.

DT Daniel Ekuale: The final play of the first half — a short run by the Bills’ Zack Moss — ended with Ekuale on the ground. While the two teams were departing for the locker room, the practice squad elevatee was tended to by the Patriots’ trainers. He did return to the game after intermission, though, and no official injury was announced.

WR Jakobi Meyers: Meyers appeared to get shaken up on a 9-yard catch-and-run midway through the third quarter. The Patriots’ number one wide receiver somersaulted towards the first down marker and was slow to get up. Meyers did briefly leave the field but he returned after a two-play absence. As was the case with J.C. Jackson and Daniel Ekuale, no injury was announced.

What this means for the Patriots

While the first practice report of the week will give more clarity about New England’s injury status heading into its Week 17 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars, it appears as if the team suffered only minor ailments versus Buffalo. J.C. Jackson, Daniel Ekuale and Jakobi Meyers all stayed in the game, after all, and did not appear to show any signs of injury after getting shaken up.

This is obviously good news for players and team alike. While Jackson and Meyers are starter-level players at the cornerback and wide receiver positions, respectively, Ekuale has proven his value as a depth option at the defensive tackle position.

Having all of them available against Jacksonville — yes, even a practice squad player such as Ekuale — would be good news for New England. The Patriots’ game against the Jaguars is set to be kicked off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the first injury report to be released on Wednesday afternoon.