Jaguars at Bills
Injuries could play a big role for the Buffalo Bills, who looks for a second straight win when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Bills may be without running back LeSean McCoy and they don't expect to have receivers Robert Woods or Sammie Watkins as they try to climb back into the AFC playoff race.
McCoy underwent surgery on a dislocated thumb suffered in the Bills' crucial 16-12 win at Cincinnati last week and coach Rex Ryan didn't know whether the NFL's ninth-leading rusher with 716 yards and seven touchdowns could handle the ball on Sunday. Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said he expects quarterback Blake Bortles to be able to play in Week 12 after the turnover-prone quarterback suffered a shoulder injury in last week's 26-19 loss at Detroit. Bortles has thrown 18 touchdown passes on the season but added two more interceptions to his league-leading total of 13 last week against the Lions. Jacksonville defeated Buffalo 34-31 at London last season, getting a late touchdown pass from Bortles to Allen Hurns.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Bills -7.5. O/U: 45.
ABOUT THE JAGUARS (2-8): Chad Henne received more work in practice for the Jaguars during the week and would get the start should Bortles not be available. The Jaguars lost veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis to a season-ending calf injury against the Lions and running back T.J. Yeldon is questionable with an ankle injury for Jacksonville, which has lost five straight games. The Jaguars limited Detroit to just 14 yards on the ground last week but lost their third straight road game, two of wthem by one possession.
ABOUT THE BILLS (5-5): Should McCoy not go, Mike Gillislie (326 yards, 4 TDs) would get the start and the offense could be further hindered by the absence of their top two receivers. Watkins is available to come off the injured reserve list this week after undergoing foot surgery and was cleared to practice Wednesday while Woods, who leads the Bills this season with 42 catches for 493 yards, is unlikely to play Sunday after suffering a sprained knee last week on a controversial hit by Vontaze Burfict. After going 0-4 in games decided by a touchdown or less this season, Buffalo squeezed by Cincinnati last week to snap its three-game losing streak but the victory was clearly aided by the Bengals' early loss of wide receiver A.J. Green.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Bortles has thrown 10 pick-sixes since the 2014 season, the most in the NFL.
2. Chris Ivory took over as the lead back when Yeldon was injured last week and gained 39 yards on 17 carries and lost a fumble. He leads the team with 309 yards but averages just 3.6 yards a carry and has one touchdown.
3. Buffalo's playoff push begins this week as four of its final six games are at home and one of its road games is against the lowly Jets.