THE Houston Texans will be without Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon on Sunday at NRG Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills won’t have any more.
Receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive tackles Ed Oliver and Austin Johnson and safety Taylor Rapp were all ruled out by coach Sean McDermott on Friday, according to the injury report.
Both teams enter Sunday at 3-1 and could very well compete for second place in the AFC standings behind the Kansas City Chiefs.
Johnson (oblique), Rapp (concussion protocol) and Shakir (ankle) did not practice this week after suffering injuries in Sunday’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Oliver began the week as a limited participant before suffering a hamstring problem in training.
After Stefon Diggs was traded to the Texans, Shakir became the Bills’ primary receiver. In four games, the third-year receiver has caught 18 of 19 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns.
With Shakir out, veteran Curtis Samuel is expected to take over as slot receiver in an expanded role opposite rookie Keon Coleman and Mack Hollins.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins (hamstring) is expected to play after being removed from the injured list. With the absence of Olivier, Buffalo must count on rookie DaQuon DeWayne Carter and Zion Logue.
The front seven has been a concern for the Bills, particularly because of their ground presence. Last week, Buffalo allowed 271 rushing yards against the Ravens, including 199 to All-Pro Derrick Henry.
“When I watched the tape, Baltimore looked a lot more like an anomaly than a norm. They made some mental errors that created plays that didn’t really show up on their tape,” the Washington offensive coordinator said. Texans, Bobby Slowik. “They give up a few yards in the running game, but during the course of the play they don’t believe you’re going to keep doing it and keep doing it. Eventually they’ll get you to a third down and they’re pretty good on third down test. It’s a challenge for us.”
Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.
This article was originally published on Texans Wire: Texans vs. Bills: three key starters for Buffalo
