When the Buffalo Bills hit the field against the Denver Broncos inside Empower Field at Mile High, they’ll do so with one of the league’s most experienced active kickers who spent seven campaigns in Denver between the 2007 and 2013 NFL seasons. Now 41, kicker Matt Prater may be in rarified air as someone well-suited to provide the stabilizing kicking force Buffalo needs to come out on top in the Divisional Round matchup on Saturday.
To understand why and how Prater won the starting role for the Bills, one needs to look back to the summer of 2025. Buffalo entered last offseason with the expectation that incumbent kicker Tyler Bass would reprise his role as a steady points producer, but then things veered off course. Bass suffered an injury to his hip and groin and wound up on Injured Reserve (IR) to start the 2025 regular season. In truth, Bass would never appear in a game with Buffalo this season, eventually undergoing surgery late in the campaign that officially ended his season.
When Bass’ injury first made headlines, many wondered what One Bills Drive’s next move would be, with little time and energy to spare in scouting kickers ahead of Week 1. Plenty of kickers made their way through the doors in hopes that something would stick. In the preseason, Buffalo signed and rookie kicker Caden Davis following Bass’ injury, and at one point had to call on running back Ray Davis to handle extra-point duties. But neither situation proved tenable, and Caden Davis didn’t survive initial 53-man roster cuts.
With Bass on IR at the outset, the Bills turned to the steely Prater ahead of Week 1 — a signing that proved fruitful for both sides. Prater never looked back, and he’s proven to be one of the Bills’ team MVPs this season. Prater finished the regular season converting 18 of 20 field goals, with a long of 52 yards; adding 46 extra points on 49 tries. Prater also booted 84 kickoffs, notching 11 touchbacks.
If it hadn’t been true already, Prater’s value was fully evident when he suffered a quadriceps and calf injury to his kicking leg towards the end of the regular season that kept him out of action in Weeks 16 and 17. That meant Buffalo once again had to hunt for a kicker, which created an opportunity for Michael Badgley — who brought concerns as someone mostly used to kicking indoors. Things didn’t go well for Badgley in two games played, with him missing an extra point and shanking a kickoff that resulted in a penalty.
Prater returned for Week 18, but he re-aggravated the quad injury in action against the New York Jets. As such, Prater entered the playoffs as “day to day,” and all eyes were on the Bills’ kicking situation ahead of last Sunday’s Wild Card matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ultimately, Buffalo didn’t need to turn to practice-squad kicker Matthew Wright since Prater was cleared to play.
Against the Jaguars, Prater showed no ill-effects of the quad injury, booting field goals of 50 an 47 yards, plus three extra points. Prater appears to have put the injury behind him, with the Bills’ latest injury report listing him as a full participant. It’s an important bit of news for a Buffalo special teams unit that’s experienced a lot of unrest with both kicking specialist roles.
Now, Prater gets the opportunity to show how valuable his time in Denver could be for a Buffalo team looking to advance to the AFC Championship game. Heading into his 11th playoff game in seven postseason campaigns amid a 19-year career, Prater brings plenty of experience in high-pressure moments as someone who’s seen it all at the position. That may prove to be a key factor for a Bills team hoping to put past postseason kicking woes firmly in the rearview mirror.
What’s clear is that the Bills have found steady strength behind legs of Matt Prater in 2025 and his postseason availability is paramount to Buffalo’s success moving forward.