Monday Night Football could not have started much better for former Tennessee standout Josh Palmer with the receiver hauling in a 45-yard pass from Josh Allen on the Bills’ first play from scrimmage. But things took a bad turn for Palmer early in the second quarter.
Palmer caught a second pass from Allen on the third play of the second quarter and a Falcons defender drug him down with a hip drop tackle, injuring him in the process. Palmer exited the game with the injury and did not return as Atlanta knocked off Buffalo, 24-14.
A hip drop tackle is the exact type of tackle that injured Tennessee running back DeSean Bishop in the Vols’ 34-31 win over Arkansas Saturday. Known for causing injuries at an increased rate, hip drop tackles are illegal in the NFL but still legal in college football. Atlanta’s Dee Alford was not penalized for the tackle of Palmer, however.
Josh Palmer injured on a hip drop tackle…
There’s a reason that this type of tackle has been outlawed. pic.twitter.com/4bhli1Kv0D
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) October 14, 2025
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Despite suffering an injury early in the second quarter, Palmer’s two catches for 60 yards was still good enough to lead Buffalo in receiving. In fact, his 45-yard catch on the Bills’ first offensive play was good enough to do so. Khalil Shakir was Buffalo’s next leading receiver with three catches for just 33 yards.
Palmer is in his first year with Buffalo after spending the first four years of his professional career with the Los Angeles Chargers. In six games, Palmer’s caught 14 passes for 234 yards and no touchdowns. Palmer has been pretty consistent in his career numbers.
The last two seasons, Palmer totaled 38 catches for 581 yards and 39 catches for 584 yards, respectively. His best professional season came in 2022 when he caught 72 passes for 769 yards and three touchdowns. If the injury is not long term, Palmer could compete with his career numbers this season in Buffalo.
Palmer played at Tennessee from 2017-2020 where playing on bad offenses led to a lack of production. He totaled between 457 and 484 yards in three of his four seasons in Knoxville.
