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Bills Announce Troubling Injury News Before Jets Game
Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills are looking to start their season 2-0, hitting the road to face the New York Jets for an AFC East showdown. ESPN BET currently places Buffalo as 6.5-point favorites.

However, they've been hit with several key injuries to start the season. That includes defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who added to the injury report on Thursday.

He did not participate due to an ankle injury, which put his availability to play against the Jets in question, though there was still hope.

Unfortunately, though, on Friday, the Bills announced that Oliver has officially been ruled out for Sunday's matchup.

It's a huge blow to the Bills' defense, as he racked up six tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and one forced fumble in their Week 1 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

His performance earned him a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 92.1, which ranked No. 1 out of 143 qualified defensive linemen. His 92.7 run defense grade was the second-highest at the position.

It now creates a next-man-up mentality for the Bills, and on their depth chart, T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker are listed as the second-string defensive tackles.

However, in terms of experience, it's clear that each is a major step down from Oliver. As a 2025 fourth-round pick, Walker appeared in his first NFL game last week. The same can be said for Sanders, whom the Bills used a second-round pick on.

However, to stop Jets running back Breece Hall, who had 107 yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of those two rookies will need to step up.

Jets quarterback Justin Field also must be contained after rushing for 48 yards and two touchdowns as well.

If the Bills can't contain the run game, then they could very well suffer their first loss of the season. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET and will be aired on CBS.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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