sport news Bills report five players absent from Monday's practice due to illness ahead of ... trends now Buffalo Bills are forced to adjust their training schedule AGAIN after FIVE players call out sick from Monday's practice due to illness ahead of rival game against New England Patriots on Thursday Cornerback Dane Jackson was among the absentees after the Detroit Lions win It's the second time in two weeks that five players on the team have fallen 'ill' Bills linebacker Von Miller will not play on Thursday after suffering a knee injury Buffalo's 8-3 record puts them on par with Miami in first place of the AFC East Click here for all your latest international Sports news from DailyMail.com By Ap and Alastair Talbot For Dailymail.Com Published: 05:55 GMT, 30 November 2022 | Updated: 05:55 GMT, 30 November 2022 Viewcomments The Buffalo Bills have been struggling to contain a mysterious illness that's hindered its roster ahead of its rival game against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. Monday's practice saw five players, including cornerback Dane Jackson, call out sick. It's the second time in two weeks that five players on the Bills have fallen 'ill' and have had to miss practice after the absences of defensive linesmen Jordan Philipps and Tom Settle, linebacker Matt Milano, defensive back Cam Lewis and fullback Reggie Gilliam last Wednesday. Buffalo Bills cornerback Dane Jackson was among five players to miss practice on Tuesday Bills head coach Sean McDermott claims some mysterious illness is 'out there', as players' families are affected by it too 'It's out there, right?' coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Monday. 'Families have it and these guys are human beings so they pick it up sometimes, too.' Buffalo has also been dealing with an extensive number of injuries within the last couple of weeks. On Thanksgiving Day, linebacker Von Miller was sidelined with a knee injury in the Bills' 28-25 win over the Detroit Lions. 'Von will not play this week, and we'll just see where it goes from there,' McDermott said. 'There will be more testing and whatnot that gets involved. But I'll just keep it at that for now.' Injuries have affected every position group on the defense for Buffalo this season. Bills linebacker Von Miller will be out vs. the Patriots on Thursday after suffering a knee injury The Bills opened the NFL season with a banged-up secondary. Top cornerback Tre’Davious White missed the first 10 games of the season as he made his way back from a torn ACL. White played for the first time on Thanksgiving with limited snaps and could receive more playing time against New England. Safety Micah Hyde is out for the year with a neck injury, safety Jordan Poyer missed games on two separate occasions with an elbow injury. And cornerbacks Christian Benford, Cam Lewis and Dane Jackson have also been injured. Benford was placed on injured reserve on Saturday with an oblique injury. At linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds has missed Buffalo’s past two games with groin and heel injuries and Matt Milano has missed time with an oblique injury. Buffalo's (8-3) wins against Detroit and Cleveland have moved the team on par with Miami at the top of the AFC East On the defensive line, the news isn’t all bad for the Billers — Miller is out, but others are returning. Buffalo’s other starting defensive end, Greg Rousseau, practiced Wednesday after missing the previous three games with a high ankle sprain. A.J. Epenesa is getting closer to returning from an ankle injury as well. Meanwhile, Buffalo's (8-3) two straight wins against Detroit and the Cleveland Browns have moved on par with Miami in the AFC East. Lying in last place in the division are the Patriots, who are 6-5 overall. The Bills were back in Detroit for Thanksgiving after the NFL shifted their previous home game against Cleveland to the Lions' home base because of a winter storm dumping several feet of snow in western New York. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility