Bills make risky kicker decision for NFL Wild Card road matchup vs. Jaguars

It seems somewhat risky, but the Buffalo Bills apparently trust Matt Prater, and the veteran kicker trusts his body.

The Bills opted to not use a gameday elevation on practice squad kicker Matthew Wright on the eve of the January 11 wild-card round matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, meaning Prater will be the only kicker available for the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

After missing two straight December games due to a right quad injury, the 41-year-old Prater returned for the January 4 regular season finale against the New York Jets.

MORE: Bills add ex-Jaguars' kicker as injury insurance for playoff game in Jacksonville

Prater, however, was unable to continue past halftime in Week 18 due to a flare up of sorts. In the veteran's absence, punter Mitch Wishnowsky took over kickoff duty and the Bills attempted two-point conversions following their two second-half touchdowns.

Dec 7, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills place kicker Matt Prater (15) attempts an extra point against the Cincinnati Bengals with the help of punter Mitch Wishnowsky (19) in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

"I think just as the time went on, warming up before the game with the cold and everything else, it just kind of stiffened up on me," said Prater on Wednesday in Orchard Park.

Still, even with the setback, Prater proclaimed his intention to reach full health in time for the postseason opener.

MORE: Matt Prater details how Bills are unlike any other team from his 19-year career

"I want to hit 100 percent. I want to feel good. I want to feel confident going into it," said Prater. "As long as we get some quality work in during the week just to feel confident going into Sunday, we should be fine."

The Bills are obviously gambling that Prater does not reaggravate the injury on Sunday.

Prater's customized practice week

The Bills rested Prater for Wednesday's walkthrough. On Thursday, he practiced in full as planned.

"We can take a look tomorrow and just see where he's at. And then hopefully, all is well," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott. "And he gets a chance to then kind of get back to some rest after that as we head into game time."

Apparently, "all is well" after Friday's rest and recovery.

Steady performance since Week 1

With Tyler Bass unavailable to start the season due to a groin injury that eventually required surgery, the Bills signed Prater to the practice squad and elevated him for the opener against the Baltimore Ravens.

After making the game-winning field goal at the gun, Prater earned a spot on the 53-man roster and took over full-time kicking duties.

Over 15 regular season games in 2025, Prater converted 18 of 20 field goal attempts. He hit extra points at a 93.8 percent clip. Prater's 81 career field goals from 50+ yards are an NFL record.

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