ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — The Buffalo Bills will be without key players on both sides of the ball to start the playoffs as wide receiver Gabe Davis (knee) and safety Taylor Rapp (calf) have been ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Both players suffered injuries in the Bills’ win over the Miami Dolphins last week that secured the AFC East division title and the No. 2 seed in the conference. Rapp, who plays a key role in the dime package, was injured on the play in which he caught the game-ending interception.
Davis has played 83% of the Bills’ offensive snaps. He is a significant contributor to the run-game blocking and will be missed in a game against Pittsburgh that is expected to have significant weather. As a receiver, Davis has had multiple games this season without a reception but also three games with 100-plus receiving yards.
Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas (knee) and starting outside linebacker Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) are both questionable for the game. Dodson was limited in practice Friday, while Douglas did not participate all week. Cornerback Dane Jackson is expected to start in Douglas’ place if he can’t play.
“I think there’s a lot of things that go into it, with [Douglas’] situation,” coach Sean McDermott said. “And so we’ll just see a little bit of how he looks today from the training standpoint, with not practicing, and evaluate the group as a whole.”
Along with the injuries, the Bills and Steelers could both have weather issues to deal with Sunday. More than a foot of snow — and as much as three feet — is expected in the Buffalo area, including Orchard Park, and the surrounding counties this weekend, according to AccuWeather, and a winter storm warning is in effect for the area with winds potentially as high as 65 mph.
The NFL is monitoring the weather, as it does for all games, and told the teams Friday afternoon that no changes were planned for the 1 p.m. ET Sunday kickoff, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bills lost 27-10 to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round last season in a game that was played in persistent snowfall for much of the contest. That game featured different conditions than there is the potential for Sunday with wind much less of a factor. Last year, the Browns-Bills regular-season game was moved to Detroit due to a forecast for multiple feet of snow and high winds.
Alaina Getzenberg
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