Bills Rule Out Gabe Davis, Taylor Rapp for Playoffs vs. Steelers
The Buffalo Bills will have to lean more heavily on star receiver Stefon Diggs in Sunday afternoon's Wild Card playoff matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium.
Bills receiver Gabe Davis injured his knee in Week 18's AFC East-clinching win over the Miami Dolphins and has missed the first two practices of this week. On Friday morning, the team officially ruled him out for Sunday's game.
While speaking to the media on Thursday, Diggs appeared to unintentionally confirm that Davis won't be playing in the game.
© Eric Hartline, USA TODAY
"He's staying positive throughout his process," Diggs said. "We're just trying to win for him so that he has something to play for when he can come back. You can't do much about injuries, they happen."
Saying "when he can come back" was a giveaway that Davis won't be playing, though this only confirms what was expected. Using Davis as a piece of motivation to get to the Divisional Round almost certainly means he'll be watching from the sideline.
Friday's injury report will be more telling about what other ailments the team is dealing with. The Bills could've ruled Davis out before kickoff when gameday inactives are released in order to play a bit of gamesmanship, but this shows there was never any real possibility of him playing.
Both Diggs and Davis have had their ups and downs this season. Regardless, the Bills are on a five-game winning streak headed into the postseason and have shown they can win in a number of ways that don't include high-level production from their top two receivers.
This season, Davis has posted 45 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Bills (11-6) and Steelers (10-7) kickoff at 1 p.m. ET.
