The Buffalo Bills have the oldest kicker in the NFL who used to hold the league record for longest made field goal.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have the youngest kicker in the NFL who currently holds the league record for longest two made field goals.
Buffalo is banking on Prater being available and effective when the Bills travel to play the Jaguars at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Matt Prater, 41, is considered day-to-day with a quadriceps injury that has kept him out 2 1/2 of the last three games. Bills head coach Sean McDermott called the nagging injury “unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, Jacksonville’s Cam Little has made 20 straight field goals entering the playoffs, including an NFL-record 68-yarder on Nov. 2 and a 67-yarder, the second longest in league history, last week.
Is Matt Prater playing today?
Prater is expected to play in the wild-card game against the Jaguars on Sunday. His was officially questionable on the final injury report. Prater sat out Wednesday’s walkthrough, participated in full at Thursday’s practice and rested on Friday.
The Bills signed veteran Matthew Wright to the practice squad Tuesday but did not elevate him.
Prater will be the only kicker available. Buffalo could utilize punter Mitch Wishnowsky on kickoffs and choose to attempt 2-point conversions after touchdowns.
Bills running back Ray Davis is the team’s unofficial emergency kicker. He made an extra point in the preseason and attempted an onside kick for Buffalo in Week 10. Davis was named first-team All-Pro as a kickoff returner on Saturday.
Prater re-aggravated his right quadriceps injury that kept him out of the previous two games in the season finale.
He made all three of his extra point attempts in the first half but did not play in the second half of the Bills’ 35-8 win over the New York Jets. Buffalo went for 2-point conversion attempts on each of its second-half touchdowns and punter Mitch Wishnowsky handled kickoff duties.
“Kind of work with two plans, one where he’s able to go come Sunday and one where he’s perhaps not able to go,” McDermott said on Monday.
Bills kicker depth chart
- Matt Prater
- Matthew Wright
- Tyler Bass (IR)
- Ray Davis (emergency kicker)
Prater has made 18 of 20 field-goal attempts and 46 of 49 extra points for 100 points in 15 games this season. The 19-year veteran holds the NFL record with 82 field goals of at least 50 yards. He held the league record for longest made field goal, 64 yards, from 2013-2021.
Wright kicked in four games this season for the Titans, Commanders and Texans, going 5-for-5 on field goals and 4 of 4 on extra points. He’s made 60 of 68 field goal attempts and 45 of 47 extra points in 33 career appearances.
The Bills signed veteran Michael Badgley with Prater out Weeks 16 and 17, but released him on Dec. 29 after he continued to be plagued with extra point struggles. Badgley played two games with the Bills, missing an extra point in his first game and having an extra point blocked in his second game. The latter complicated the Bills’ comeback attempt and ability to tie or take the lead in the final seconds of a 13-12 loss to the Eagles.
Tyler Bass, the Bills’ starting kicker from 2020-24, has been on injured reserve all season with hip and groin injuries. He underwent season-ending surgery in November.
