Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Bills WR Cole Beasley played with broken fibula during playoffs

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 1/25/21

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley led his team with seven receptions for 88 yards in Sunday's 38-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

It turns out those numbers and his performance were more heroic than outsiders realized.

As ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques noted, Beasley told reporters on Monday that he played through a partially broken fibula.

Beasley was listed on several injury reports at the end of the season with a knee injury, for what it’s worth https://t.co/OVsmB2qXsS
— Marcel Louis-Jacques (@Marcel_LJ) January 25, 2021

According to Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com, Beasley suffered the injury during the prime-time 38-9 victory over the New England Patriots on Dec. 28 and missed the Week 17 showdown versus the Miami Dolphins. The 31-year-old returned to the lineup for Buffalo's wild-card win over the Indianapolis Colts and recorded seven catches for 57 receiving yards in that outing.

“I broke my fibula but it’s nothing that needs to be surgically repaired,” Beasley explained during Monday's media conference call. “It’s not a full break. It was bad the first game I played but after that you take a few meds and suck it up.”

Beasley's production and toughness bring to mind memories of how Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens returned ahead of schedule from a serious ankle injury and tallied nine receptions for 122 yards in Super Bowl XXXI.