The Buffalo Bills are looking to start with a 1-0 record, but they will have to get by the Baltimore Ravens first. The two will meet on Sunday Night Football this week, which is a rematch of last year’s AFC Divisional Round.
The biggest play from that game was when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews dropped a two-point conversion to tie the game late.
Buffalo would go on to win with a score of 27-25. Now the Ravens and Andrews are looking for revenge. Andrews is going to have his share of plays to get back at Buffalo because his sidekick tight end seems unlikely to suit up.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported, “Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely, who is recovering nicely from a broken bone in his foot, is not expected to play in the team’s opener against the Bills, sources say,” Rapoport wrote on X Wednesday morning.
Isaiah Likely is Key to Ravens Offense
The 25-year-old tight end suffered his injury early in training camp, and there was a thought he could return for Week 1. Since he wasn’t placed on Injured Reserve, meaning he would have missed four games, there is hope he could return within the next few weeks.
Likely is entering his fourth NFL season and has been one of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s favorite weapons. In 49 games, Likely has 108 receptions for 1,261 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The Bills catch a break with Likely projected to miss the game. During last season’s playoff game, Likely recorded 73 yards on four receptions and one touchdown.
Baltimore has huge expectations for Likely this season. During mini camp this summer, head coach John Harbaugh thinks Likely could become an All-Pro.
“I want to see Likely be an All-Pro,” Harbaugh told reporters in May. “That would be my goal for him, and he’s capable of it.”
Bills Will be Missing Young First Pick
While the Ravens will be out one of their star tight ends, Buffalo will also be missing a key piece. During the first round of this year’s draft, the Bills took Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston. The 22-year-old was supposed to come in and help lock down receivers right away. However, an injury to his LCL in late July will cause him to miss some action.
There was hope that Hairston would be ready by the first regular-season game. But last week, after final roster cuts, the team put him on short-term IR, which will cause him to miss at least four games.
The Bills had many issues in their secondary last season, and Hairston was supposed to help fix them.
The good news is that Hairston should return by October, when the Bills are nearing the midpoint of the season.
This week’s game might not seem like a big deal since it’s the first game of the year. But it could be for home field in the playoffs. The Ravens and Bills are expected to be at the top of the AFC, and the winner of the game could have a tiebreaker down the road for the No. 1 seed in the conference come playoffs.
Bills Likely Won’t be Seeing Key Offensive Starter For Ravens Due to Injury