| Bills running back C.J. Spiller was lost for the game after he injured his shoulder in the first quarter against the Browns. (AP) |
For the second time in three weeks, the Bills saw one of their star running backs go down with what appeared to be a serious injury.
And for the second time in three weeks, the news was better than expected.
RB C.J. Spiller isn’t expected to miss a significant amount of time with a left shoulder injury, coach Chan Gailey said following Buffalo’s 24-14 win over Cleveland.
“I don’t believe it’s long-, long-term,” Gailey said. “If he misses a week, that’s long for me. ... I think he’s going to be out for sure this week and then we’ll see where it goes from there.”
Spiller was injured late in the first quarter on a 25-yard pass reception that was called back due to a holding penalty. He took a hard hit on the play from Browns S Usama Young.
Spiller was one of the NFL’s biggest surprise stories through two weeks and led the league in rushing through two games with 292 yards. Gailey said the injury was indeed to his shoulder and not his collarbone.
Spiller was replaced by fifth-year pro Tashard Choice, who ran for 91 yards in his absence.
Spiller received his opportunity following an injury to Fred Jackson, the team’s original starter at RB. Jackson suffered a knee sprain in Week 1 but is making good progress and is expected to return in the near future -- though it’s not yet known if he’ll be well enough to play in a big Week 4 clash against the New England Patriots.
“I’m moving good,” Jackson told CBSSports.com on Friday. “Our training staff is doing a tremendous job getting my ready, taking care of me, putting me on the right path to get back sooner rather than later. They haven’t given me a real timetable yet, but they say that they like what’s going on. They say as long as I keep progressing like I am, I’ll definitely be out there sooner than expected.”
For more updates on the Bills, follow correspondent Mark Ludwiczak on Twitter @CBSBills and @MarkLud12.