This is painful. Very, very painful.
The Buffalo Bills were cruising to a Week 18 victory over the New York Jets. It was the fourth quarter. And Maxwell Hairston got hurt.
The injury drew questions as to why Hairston was even still in the game.
Max Hairston getting hurt in the 4th quarter of a meaningless game right before the playoffs…
— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) January 5, 2026
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It's tricky with NFL rosters. There aren't just dozens of available bench players late in the season. They can only have so many active choices.
At the same time, Hairston is clearly a key cornerback for the Bills' chances in the playoffs.
And now, it's not obvious whether he'll be available.
It's an ankle injury for Hairston. The Bills will likely not know until postgame or even during the week how Hairston is doing.
But it really hurts that he's hurt, and it came when the game was well in hand.
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