Zack Moss' Season Comes To An End Following Ankle Injury
When the Buffalo Bills drafted former Utah running back Zack Moss in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, it came with the expectation of pairing him with elusive running back Devin Singletary and mobile quarterback Josh Allen to form a three-headed monster in the backfield.
Behind those three and the addition of wide receiver Stephon Diggs, Buffalo blazed through the regular season en route to the AFC East championship and the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
But if the Bills are to go any further than that, it will have to come without Moss, Buffalo's second leading rusher. After suffering an ankle injury in the second half of Buffalo's wild card playoff game against Indianapolis last Saturday, Moss has been ruled out the rest of the season.
"Zack being out, we'll look at guys on our roster that we have a lot of confidence in, T.J. and Antonio and [practice squad player] Christian [Wade] there, so we'll take a look at what our options are. And like I said, we've got a lot of confidence in all three of those guys," Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott said Monday.
Utah's all-time leading rusher went down on the second play of the fourth quarter. Following a six-yard rush, he was tackled awkwardly by Indianapolis' all-pro linebacker Darrius Leonard. While Moss was getting bent awkwardly and with his legs caught underneath Leonard, TJ Carrie hit Moss that bent him over in a more awkward manner, leading to the injury and Moss being carted off the field.
Bills rookie running back Zack Moss need to be carted off the field after suffering a leg injury / JAMIE GERMANO/ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
Moss' rookie campaign ends with him rushing for 481 yards and four touchdowns on 112 carries in 13 games played. He also added 14 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.
According to ESPN, it's undecided whether Moss' injury will require surgery.
With Moss out for good, the Bills will now rely on Allen and Singletary that much more in the run game.
"I just told him it's his time to step up and this is what he's worked all his life for," McDermott said of Singletary. "And, you know, Devin's a guy that has worked extremely hard over the course of his career even before he got to the NFL. He's no stranger to hard work and he's no stranger to having to carry the load, and I know this team is 100% confident in Devin Singletary."
Dec 28, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary (26) runs with the ball against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Buffalo took down Indianapolis 27-24 this past weekend in the wild card round, setting up a game against reigning MVP Lamar Jackson and Baltimore at home on Saturday night in the divisional round of the playoffs. Kickoff is set for 6:15 p.m. MT on NBC.
Want to share opinions or ask questions? We want to hear them! Making a profile is free and it only takes ~1 minute to set up. Also, be sure to like us on social media for future coverage:
Twitter — @UtahUtes_SI and Ryan Kostecka at @Ryan_Kostecka