The Patriots won’t have to worry about Ed Oliver at Highmark Stadium on Sunday night.
The standout Bills defensive tackle will be inactive due to an ankle injury. Oliver had been given the questionable designation on Friday after being limited at practice, but isn’t ready to return.
As an interior defensive lineman, Oliver registered 39 pressures in 14 games last season. Patriots rookie guard Jared Wilson, who likely would have been tasked with blocking the veteran, had been impressed by his film.
“(He’s) fast and twitchy. Fast, twitchy, uses his hands well. He’s got sneaky power that he likes to use and overall he’s a great player,” Wilson said.
Though Oliver is sidelined, Buffalo will get some help in the middle of their defense, as Matt Milano is active for the first time since Week 2. The linebacker had been sidelined by a pectoral injury.
With an 8:20 kickoff, the Patriots and Bills will have a national spotlight in prime time. Cornerback Carlton Davis is expecting a high-octane environment in Western New York.
“It’s about to be so fun, bro. It’s about to be a movie,” Davis said. “For real. It’s about to be nice. It’s about to be lit. Sunday Night Football. Division game and they’ve been running the division the last couple years. So it’s going to be fun to go out there and compete.”
Buffalo has won the AFC East for five straight seasons. Though Davis had been in the NFC throughout that run, he still said there’s more juice knowing the Bills have dominated the division in recent years.
“Hell yeah, bro,” Davis said. “That’s the best thing about it. That’s the best part. Because once you knock them off, there’s so much momentum behind that. So much hype comes with that. That’s why you play that game. To beat the best. Compete against the best. So that’s the beauty of this week and I know the guys in here are prepared for it.”
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