Bills dealt huge blow as defender ruled out for AFC Championship Game with Chiefs
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott has ruled out Taylor Rapp for Sunday night’s AFC Championship Game with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The news comes as a big blow to the Bills as they look to finally overcome the Chiefs in the playoffs and reach the Super Bowl on February 9, where they would play either the Philadelphia Eagles or Washington Commanders.
With Rapp ruled out rookie Cole Bishop is in line to start against the Chiefs. While Rapp’s absence is a big one, there was some good news for the Bills as McDermott stated that linebacker Matt Milano, who was limited in practice all week due to a hamstring injury, is slated to be a full participant in Friday’s practice.
As for cornerback Christian Benford, he is still in concussion protocol and missed Friday’s practice due to a personal matter.
“T Rapp will be out, Benford still in concussion protocol but has a personal situation he is tending to,” McDermott said.
“He will not be at practice, he has been excused.”
Rapp’s injury is a big one for the Bills as it means Bishop, who played in 16 games this season but started just four, will start after spending much of the year on special teams.
Rapp is dealing with back and hip injuries, but McDermott made it clear he is confident that Bishop can step up in his absence.
“Yeah, it’s high,” McDermott said of his confidence in Bishop. “He’s a young player, but at the same time he’s grown.
“He went through an injury in training camp, missed a lot of time, that set him back, set his growth back, delayed it at least, and then came in and he’s grown through each experience and confident he’ll continue to do that moving forward.”
Bishop replaced Rapp when he was injured in the second quarter of the win over the Baltimore Ravens. Rapp intercepted a pass before his injury, while Bishop has two passes defended, one forced fumble and 40 tackles this season.
“It’s easy to say it’s just like any other game, but everybody knows it’s really not,” Bishop said of the game earlier this week.
“So being able to just prepare throughout the week, and then once Sunday comes, like you’ve done everything you can, so at that point there is really nothing you can be nervous for. You prepared, and now you’ve just got to go make plays.”