Taylor

Rapp

Rapp was trending toward missing Sunday’s game after logging back-to-back DNPs to start the week. He will likely miss Friday’s practice as well but will have nearly two full weeks to recover from his injuries if the Bills win to advance to the Super Bowl. Rookie Cole Bishop, who the team selected with the No. 60 overall pick in this year’s draft, will step in to start in place of Rapp. Bishop has totaled 40 tackles and two pass breakups in 16 games for the Bills.

Rapp is now on the wrong side of questionable, beginning the week with two absences. The Bills’ secondary is in rough shape, with two starting cornerbacks also ailing. Hopefully, Rapp can return to practice tomorrow.

The good news is that cornerback Christian Benford was listed as limited, meaning he is already making progress through the league’s concussion protocol. Rapp left the Bills’ Divisional Round game after just 19 snaps and did not return. Rapp appeared in 14 regular season games, totaling six pass breakups and two interceptions. He also picked off Lamar Jackson before leaving with the hip injury.

Benford will have six days to clear protocol before the AFC Championship game. It would be a huge loss for the Bills if they didn’t have their most effective cornerback (78.8 PFF coverage grade) against the Chiefs. Benford played all but one snap against the Ravens in the Wild Card round. McDermott also said that Taylor Rapp (hip) is “day to day” after leaving with just 19 snaps in the first half. Cole Bishop replaced Rapp.

Rapp spent nearly a full defensive series in the Bills’ blue medical tent before being carted to the locker room. Rapp evidently suffered the injury while contributing to a three-player tackle on a Lamar Jackson run, and may have rammed his hip into one of his own teammates in the process. Rapp made his presence felt early, picking off an overthrown pass on the Ravens’ second offensive drive.

The Bills also declared S Damar Hamlin, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Matt Milano, WR Curtis Samuel, DT DeWayne Carter and T Tylan Grable inactive. The Bills’ defense will be without both starting safeties, its No. 2 perimeter CB and its lynchpin LB. The Patriots’ offense should be able to provide at least a few usable fantasy outings in this one.

The Bills’ defense is fairly banged up at this point. Joining Rapp in the questionable column are S Damar Hamlin, LB Matt Milano, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Baylon Specter and LB Dorian Williams. Depending on the game-day inactive list, the Patriots’ offense could have an easier time than expected.

Douglas, Rapp, and Hamlin comprise three of the four regular starters in the Bills’ secondary, so these are some huge losses going into a game on the road in Detroit. This game was already likely to be a shootout, but the Lions’ pass catchers could all be in for a huge game.

Lions did not practice all week after sustaining a knee injury in the Bills’ Week 14 loss to the Rams. The veteran corner has started in every game for the Bills this season, earning a PFF coverage grade of 59.2 while allowing 36 receptions for 446 yards and three touchdowns on 48 targets. With Douglas sidelined who saw an increased role in last week’s game. In addition to Douglas, the Bills have also said safeties Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder) and Damar Hamlin (back/ribs), and defensive end Dawuane Smoot (wrist) are all questionable for Week 15.

Oliver popped up on the team’s injury report Thursday and has now been ruled out for the week. The veteran lineman hopefully won’t miss more than a game, but he’s one of several Bills defenders who have already been ruled out for Week 5. In addition to Oliver, head coach Sean McDermott also said DT Austin Johnson (oblique) and S Taylor Rapp (concussion) won’t play vs. the Texans.