Usually coy and a person that will keep his cards close to his chest, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott might have opened up about his plans for once.
The Bills (13-3) have locked up the No. 2 seed in the AFC postseason. Because of that, plenty of starters for Buffalo won’t play much in Week 18 against the New England Patriots (3-13), if at all. It’s expected that quarterback Josh Allen will simply take a snap or two to keep his starting streak alive while others will just take a seat.
Regarding the opposite direction, on Friday McDermott made it sound like his two starting safeties could be on the field for a bit against the Pats.
Damar Hamlin (rib) and Taylor Rapp (neck) have been in and out of the lineup in recent weeks, Hamlin specifically. With both now healthy, McDermott stressed an importance on those two getting reps together in New England. The coach wants the duo to be ready to roll in the playoffs.
It’s not clear how much playing time will be given to them, but some will.
McDermott’s explanation can be found below:
#Bills HC Sean McDermott spoke about importance of S Damar Hamlin getting reps alongside Taylor Rapp on Sunday, noting players in past who have attempted to play their first game back from injury in the playoffs.
(h/t @JoeBuscaglia w/question)#BillsMafia | @WGRZ pic.twitter.com/Gj1gXK1IFE
— Jonathan Acosta (@_jacosta) January 3, 2025