Bills WR Diggs set to play vs. Broncos; S Hyde, CB Benford out: Can the Bills bounce back

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs is set to play against the Denver Broncos despite being limited in the past two days of practice with a back injury.

“A little bit of maintenance,” Diggs said of his injury on Saturday. “I had some lingering issues from the previous game. I fully participated in practice on Thursday. So, I’m just trying to stay ahead of it. I didn’t have too many problems, but I’d rather be proactive than reactive.”

Diggs mentioned that they are being cautious with the injury by taking two limited days of practice. He has been held under 100 receiving yards in the last three games after recording four consecutive games with 100 receiving yards.

However, the Bills will be without two defensive starters, safety Micah Hyde (neck/stinger) and cornerback Christian Benford (right hamstring), in their upcoming “Monday Night Football” game against the Denver Broncos. Both players sustained injuries in last week’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and have been ruled out. Neither of them participated in practice throughout the week. This will be Hyde’s first missed game of the season and the second for Benford (Week 5). Linebacker Terrel Bernard is currently in concussion protocol and is questionable for the game after being limited and wearing a red noncontact jersey during practice.

Backup safety Taylor Rapp is expected to start in place of Hyde, with defensive back Cam Lewis also ready to contribute. Cornerback Rasul Douglas, who was acquired by the Bills right before the trade deadline, is set to start in place of Benford in only his second game with the team, alongside Dane Jackson. If Bernard is unable to play, Tyrel Dodson will move to middle linebacker.

The Bills’ defense has already faced various injuries, with three starters, linebacker Matt Milano, defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, and cornerback Tre’Davious White, currently on injured reserve.