Matt Prater turning Bills' $20 million kicker into modern-day Wally Pipp

Sean McDermott confirmed that Matt Prater will be the Buffalo Bills' kicker again on Monday Night Football oin Week 6

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Bills place kicker Matt Prater (15) kicks a field goal against the New York Jets during the first half at MetLife Stadium / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Initially, the Buffalo Bills signed kicker Matt Prater as a short-term replacement for their injured starter.

Even Prater, who started out on the practice squad, wasn't expecting a season-long assignment.

"For however long I'm here, I'm really excited," said Prater after earning a game ball for his winning field goal in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.

Five weeks later, Prater is still here, and at this point, the 41-year-old veteran may be the Bills' kicker the rest of the way in 2025.

Tyler Bass, who has held the role since being drafted in 2020, has dealt with groin and hip injuries since late July. The Bills placed him on Injured Reserve at the start of the regular season, and he'll remain there for at least more week.

"The IR guys are, the windows are not going to open up at this point in time," said Bills' head coach Sean McDermott on Thursday in Orchard Park with an October 13 road test looming.

McDermott was directly asked "are you still confident that Tyler Bass and Max Harrison will play at some time this year?" and his response did nothing to eliminate any doubt that may exist.

"We'll see," said McDermott. "I'm just going off of the medical team's messaging to me and, it's really not much of a change at this point, but both are heading in the right direction."

It doesn't sound like Buffalo has any interest in rushing Bass back into the fold, which is no surprise considering Prater's performance.

Prater, who has made an NFL record 82 field goals from 50+ yards, has been near perfect for the Bills. Other than one ugly FG miss in a Week 3 win over the Miami Dolphins, the consummate professional has converted all 25 attempts. Over five games, he is 10-of-11 on field goals and has not missed any of his 15 extra points.

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Even if and when Bass returns to full health, Bills' brass may have a hard time dropping Prater from the lineup, especially if he continues to have the hot foot.

Although it's unlikely to last a record number of consecutive games ala baseball legend Lou Gehrig, Bass, who is in the midst of a four-year, $20.4 million contract, may wind up being the 2025 NFL version of Wally Pipp.

Bills Matt Prater kicks the ball for the field goal winning the Bills game over the Baltimore Ravens at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Sept. 7, 2025. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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