Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Sean McDermott announced Friday.
The Bills will be without Kincaid for the Week 11 contest after their top tight end suffered a knee injury during last weekend’s road win over the Indianapolis Colts.
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Kincaid — who has led the Bills in receiving targets (59) through 10 games, and has 34 catches for 356 yards and two touchdowns this season — did not participate in practices Wednesday or Thursday.
The AFC East-leading Bills (8-2), who have won five consecutive games, host the AFC West-leading Chiefs (9-0), the league’s only remaining undefeated team, at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
What Kincaid’s absence means for Sunday’s game
Kincaid’s absence this coming Sunday was the expected move after the tight end left last weekend’s game twice with a knee injury.
With the Kincaid news, there is both an optimistic and pessimistic viewpoint to him not being in the lineup.
On the bright side, he’ll be replaced by longtime Bills tight end Dawson Knox, the clear starter before the Bills drafted Kincaid in 2023. If there is someone who knows the offense, knows how to work with Josh Allen and has had some big moments against the Chiefs in the past, it’s Knox.
Plus, the Bills might get top receiver Amari Cooper back in the lineup for this game, as he said he’s trending in the right direction to play. It would be a massive addition with Kincaid and rookie receiver Keon Coleman declared out for the game.
However, comparatively, Knox is a limited athlete to what Kincaid brings to the Bills’ offense. The Bills like to run a fair share of 12 personnel looks with two tight ends, having done so on 20 percent of their snaps this season.
While they like third-string tight end Quintin Morris, that piece of their game plan might fall off a bit without Kincaid, making them slightly more predictable against a great Chiefs defense.
The Bills will need to lean on Knox, Cooper, Khalil Shakir and their run game to put enough points on the board to give the undefeated Chiefs their first loss of the season. — Joe Buscaglia, Bills beat writer
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