Earlier in the week, a key player for the Buffalo Bills surprisingly popped up on the injury report. Kicker Matt Prater, the hero of the Bills’ Week 1 comeback win over the Ravens, was limited in practice all week with a right calf injury. Given that Buffalo’s usual starting kicker, Tyler Bass, is still on Injured Reserve (IR), this was a major problem.
But the Bills did get some good news on Friday afternoon. Despite being limited in practice all week, Prater does not have an injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, meaning he’ll be good to go with no restrictions heading into the matchup. The Bills play host to Kansas City on Sunday afternoon in a monumental showdown of two AFC powerhouses that figures to have massive implications for the AFC playoff picture.
On the season, Prater is 12-13 on field goals and 22-23 on extra points. He’s been money in clutch situations, including hitting his only attempt from 50+ yards. His 57 total points on the season is tied for 13th in the NFL. At 41 years old, Prater is the oldest active player in the NFL. He’s in his 19th season in the league after playing college football at UCF.
Buffalo Bills HC Sean McDermott on the Team’s Injury Situation Heading into the Chiefs Game
Bryan M. Bennett/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)
“Okay, I’ll give you the — first of all, good morning — I’ll give you the injury updates here,” McDermott said at his press conference before Friday’s practice. “So [DT DaQuan Jones] will be out, won’t practice today. [WR] Josh Palmer will get a little bit of practice today but he’ll be out for the game. [LB] Shaq Thompson won’t practice, out for the game. And then we’ll see how [K] Matt Prater does. And [WR] Gabe Davis will not practice so he’ll be out for the game as well. And then [LB Matt] Milano and [LB Terrel] Bernard both will practice full today, and we’ll see how today goes.”
“Well, I was informed of it during practice,” McDermott said on when Prater’s injury occurred. “He was off — you know, kickers, sometimes they’re off, the specialists, they’re off doing their drills. Sometimes on a separate field. So that’s where it popped up.”
“No, no,” said McDermott on if Bass is close to returning. “He’s doing a really good job though of being a true pro, working, getting himself ready to go. So we’re just [taking it] one day and really one week at a time.”
The Buffalo Bills Face a Critical Challenge in the Chiefs
The Chiefs got off to a slow start the season due to some injuries on offense, but they’re starting to find their rhythm. The Colts are the current leaders in the AFC standings, but both the Bills and Chiefs are hot on their heels. These two teams have had several titanic playoff showdowns in recent years, and we could be gearing up for another this season.
Whichever team wins Sunday’s game will own the head-to-head tiebreaker for playoff seeding purposes, which could determine who hosts their playoff rematch, should one occur. The Bills are a half-game up on the Chiefs heading into the weekend, but both trail other teams in their respective divisions. Even beyond the tiebreaker implications, both teams need this one as they attempt to stay close in their division races.
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