The 2025 NFL season is set to kickoff starting Thursday night, September 4th, with the 2024 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on their NFC East rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Bills fans will have to wait until Sunday night where the Buffalo Bills take on the Baltimore Ravens.
The Ravens are a tough opponent, as shown in both of their matchups in the 2024 season. If the Bills want to come out of Week 1 with a win, they need these 4 players to show up and show out (not named Josh Allen).
4 players besides Josh Allen that need to step up for Bills vs. Ravens
1. DE Greg Rousseau
To kick off this list, we need to start with the defensive side of the ball, which was an issue for the Bills all of 2024. Greg Rousseau, the Bills' first-round pick in 2021, was rewarded this offseason with a well-deserved four-year extension. Rousseau has been a consistently great run defender as an edge rusher, one of the best in the NFL. But in terms of rushing the passer, he hasn't been as solid as he is a run defender.
Rousseau can generate good pressure on the quarterback, but in terms of finishing his pass rushes with a sack, he has some work to do considering he hasn't had a double digit sack season. He has been close though, with two seasons of 8 sacks in 2022 and 2024. If the Bills have any hope of mitigating the passing attack of Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, they are going to need Rousseau to finish more of his pass rushes with sacks than just pressures.
2. S Taylor Rapp
As stated before, the Bills defense in 2024 was somewhat lackluster compared to where they usually ranked with Sean McDermott as the head coach. One reason why is the stability at one of the more crucial positions in a Sean McDermott-led defense, the safeties.
Taylor Rapp has been a fine starter for the Bills, and even though he is not prime Micah Hyde or Jordan Poyer, he brings a consistent level of play that helps to stabilize the back end of the defense.
In the last matchup the Bills had with the Ravens in the 2024 playoffs, Rapp had an interception on Lamar Jackson early on in that game that helped the Bills get out to a more comfortable lead in the first half. Had the Bills not got up early on the Ravens in that game, who's to say if the Bills win that game.
If the Bills wish to win this first game of 2025, they are going to need Rapp to repeat his performance in that 2024 AFC divisional game and get at least one or two game changing plays on defense.
3. LB Matt Milano
Surprise surprise, we are staying with the defense for players that are crucial against the Ravens in Week 1. Unlike Rousseau and Rapp, Milano has been a part of this team since Year 1 of the Sean McDermott/Brandon Beane era in 2017. Since then, Milano has been an exceptional player on defense, and has been a defensive staple for the Bills, so much so that he was voted a 1st team All-Pro in 2022.
Since that 2022 season, it has been an uphill battle for Milano as he had dealt with significant injuries that started in 2023. Luckily, their last game played in the 2024 playoffs against Baltimore, Milano shown some of what made him an All-Pro in 2022.
With a healthy offseason for the first time since 2023, Milano is looking like his old self, and the Bills will need some of that all-pro Milano magic in order to hold off the Ravens this Sunday night.
4. WR Joshua Palmer
The offense for the Buffalo Bills in 2024 was one of if not the best in franchise history. The 2025 offseason for the Bills was mostly focused on the defense, but there have been some small additions on offense.
One of the first moves in free agency for the Bills was the addition of former Los Angeles Charger, Joshua Palmer. With the addition of Palmer so early in that cycle, and with the way Palmer has developed chemistry with the offense and Josh Allen, it's safe to say he is an important piece of this offense for the foreseeable future.
Another reason Palmer is so important is the status of Khalil Shakir, as Shakir is Allen's safety blanket/ go-to target in the passing game. If Shakir is not 100% ready to go, or he is limited from his ankle injury earlier this summer, Palmer is going to have to step up big time.
Although Keon Coleman, the Bills' second-round pick of 2024, has had a great summer with the Bills, Coleman does not have a similar skill set to Shakir. That's where Palmer can step in and make an impact in the passing game, and frankly needs to if Shakir is limited.