Bills Central

Sean McDermott confirms Bills will be without veteran defender vs. Chiefs

Safety Taylor Rapp will miss the AFC title game, while Matt Milano, Taron Johnson look to be set to go. Christian Benford is still in concussion protocol and will miss Friday’s practice due to personal reasons.
Khari Demos|
Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano.
Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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As Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs approaches, the Buffalo Bills seem healthier and healthier by the day.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott gave another injury update Friday, sharing that linebacker Matt Milano and cornerback Taron Johnson will be full practice participants Friday, clearing the way for them to play in a second AFC championship tilt with the Chiefs since 2020.

Unfortunately, safety Taylor Rapp has been ruled out after nursing a hip injury. That sets up rookie second-round pick Cole Bishop to get the start in the secondary, which has been a possibility that Buffalo has considered all week.

A bigger unknown for Sunday, however, is starting cornerback Christian Benford. He will miss Friday’s practice due to personal reasons but this is in addition to him still working through the concussion protocol.

As for Milano and Johnson, the Bills have to feel good knowing they’ll have two of their best defensive players in Kansas City. Both are coming off of having three total tackles in the divisional round win against the Baltimore Ravens, with Johnson also adding a pass defended. The 2023 second-team All-Pro was pivotal in Buffalo’s 30-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 11, as he posted a team-high four solo stops and totaled six tackles in the game.

Taron Johnson
Buffalo Bills cornerback Taron Johnson (7). | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Milano will be a welcome sight returning for the Bills in this rivalry. He missed the first matchup with Kansas City as he was still nursing a torn biceps from training camp.

Rapp‘s presence will be missed in the AFC title game, though. Rapp had six total tackles and one of the two interceptions Buffalo nabbed from Patrick Mahomes in their earlier meeting this year. Bishop will now fill in after playing 39 defensive snaps in last week’s win over the Ravens.

But the question is will Bishop be joined by Benford in the defensive backfield Sunday? We shall see. Hopefully, today’s personal issues are minor and one of the NFL's most underrated CBs is able to clear concussion protocol before Sunday.

Christian Benford
Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

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Khari Demos
KHARI DEMOS

Khari Demos is an award-winning sports media creator and is a contributor for Bills On SI. He has written sports betting article covering the NFL for The Athletic and has written pieces about the NBA, MLB, college football and basketball, and more, throughout his career.

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