Who Should I Start? Matt Prater or Tyler Bass

Friday, January 3, 12:10 PM

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said that veteran kicker Matt Prater (knee) "will not go" in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday against the division-rival San Francisco 49ers. Prater suffered a meniscus injury in his knee earlier this year and missed the last three months as a result. The 40-year-old kicker only ended up playing in four games in 2024 before injuring his knee in his fourth year with Arizona and 18th year in the NFL. In the four games he was active, Prater made all six of his field-goal attempts (one from 50-plus yards) and was successful on all 10 of his extra-point tries as well. Prater will be a free agent heading into his age-41 season in 2025. Chad Ryland will close out the year this weekend as Arizona's kicker. He's bounced back from a tough rookie season with the Pats to go 26-for-30 on field goals and 21-for-22 on extra points in his 12 games with the Cardinals.

Monday, January 20, 3:39 PM

Buffalo Bills placekicker Tyler Bass connected on all three extra-point attempts and both field goal tries in his team's 27-25 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Bass has been excellent since the calendar turned to December, with a missed extra point being his only blemish since Week 16. The 27-year-old failed to connect on ten total attempts in 2024 (five field goals) but went 4-for-4 on tries of 50+, including a 61-yarder. Even in the snow, he was able to drill one through from 51 yards out. With a Conference Championship bout on Sunday night against the Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon, the sixth-year pro should be afforded plenty more opportunities to knock through some kicks. The Bills and Chiefs matchup features a healthy 48-point over/under.