The Buffalo Bills begin their playoff run on Sunday in Jacksonville. After finishing the regular season 12-5 and as the runners-up in the AFC East, the Bills will take on the AFC South champion Jaguars, the No. 6 seed in the AFC traveling to the No. 3 seed on wildcard weekend.
It’s a big game for Buffalo, as the playoffs always are. This will be the seventh straight season in which the Bills have made the playoffs, and it’s actually the first time since 2019 — Tom Brady’s last season in New England — that Buffalo hasn’t won their division. Previously, they had won five straight AFC East titles from 2020-2024 before the Patriots ended that streak this year.
The Buffalo Bills’ Kicking Woes are Well-Documented
GettyORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 07: Matt Prater #15 of the Buffalo Bills celebrates with teammates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Baltimore Ravens Highmark Stadium on September 07, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Health at kicker has been a major issue for this team all season long. Longtime starter Tyler Bass suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, forcing the Bills to turn to the veteran Matt Prater. For his part, Prater hit the game-winning field goal as time expired against the Ravens in Week 1 and has been a reliable option when healthy.
But Prater has missed time recently with a quad injury, forcing the Bills to turn elsewhere. They signed K Michael Badgley back in December, but cut him after two games in which Badgley went 2-4 on extra points, including a critical miss late in a one-point loss to the Eagles.
For some insurance, the Bills signed K Matthew Wright to the practice squad, and they could elevate him as a backup against the Jaguars. But doing so would take away some depth at another position, given that each team can only have 48 activate players suit up for a game. It puts the Bills in an awkward spot.
Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott on the Team’s Delicate Kicking Situation
On Friday, a reporter asked Bills HC Sean McDermott about this predicament, about whether the team would activate a second kicker for the Jaguars game in case Prater re-aggravated his injury, while recognizing it would mean sacrificing depth elsewhere.
“No, you’re spot on,” McDermott replied. “There’s a delicate balance there and you wish you had enough spots. We’ve got — probably like everybody, we’ve got positions where we’re concerned that a player can make it through.”
“We’ve got some guys coming off injury that are playing their first game [back] this weekend for us, and unfortunately, there just aren’t enough extra spots to go around to add insurance to the multiple positions you’d like to,” McDermott said. “So we’ve got to trust, and then the backup has to be ready — if there is a backup, in this case, like you said the kicker position.”
Prater has actually been quite reliable when healthy. For the Bill on the season, he’s gone 18-20 on field goals (90 percent) and 46-49 on extra points (94 percent). If he’s back healthy and ready to go, Buffalo shouldn’t have anything to worry about in the kicking department.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bills HC Sean McDermott Gets Honest on Kicker Situation Amid Matt Prater Injury Concerns appeared first on Heavy Sports.