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At 4-0, the Buffalo Bills are the lone undefeated team left in the NFL. If they want to make it to 5-0, they must defeat their long-time AFC East rivals, the New England Patriots, on Sunday Night Football. While the Bills finally get starting linebacker Matt Milano back from injury, head coach Sean McDermott’s defense sustained a big blow ahead of the Patriots clash. According to ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg via X, formerly Twitter, star defensive tackle Ed Oliver will be inactive for the Sunday Night tilt.
“DTs ED Oliver and T.J. Sanders both inactive after being listed as questionable,” reported Getzenberg. “LB Matt Milano and RT Spencer Brown are active.”
Losing both Oliver and T.J. Sanders will leave a hole in the heart of the Bills’ defensive line. While Daquan Jones will still be in the middle, Oliver is one of Buffalo’s pass rushers. The fact that he causes so much havoc in the middle of the lines causes headaches for any offensive line. Now, it looks as if 2025 fourth-rounder Deone Walker will see more snaps on Sunday night. Can Buffalo improve to 5-0 without Oliver getting past the Patriots’ interior offensive line?
While losing Oliver and Sanders certainly stings, getting Milano back is a boost of its own. The weakside linebacker is back after missing Weeks 3 and 4. One of the Bills’ defensive leaders, Milano has certainly outperformed his fifth-round draft status. McDermott has a lot of trust in the ex-Boston College standout. Once Oliver comes back, Buffalo’s defense should be back to full strength.
Having Brown at right tackle is big as well. Quarterback Josh Allen, the reigning league MVP, orchestrates one of the NFL’s best offenses. When the Bills have all their pieces back, it will be tough to beat them in any matchup. Will Buffalo improve to 5-0 and continue its stranglehold on the top of the AFC East? If so, it’s fair to wonder if this is the year that Allen and the Bills finally make their return to the Super Bowl.
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