Taylor Rapp injury update: Bills safety out for AFC championship game vs. Chiefs

For the fourth time in the past five years, the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are meeting in the NFL playoffs, with one team keeping its Super Bowl dreams alive and the other having to endure a long, arduous wait to once again try to claim their sport’s top prize.

If the Bills are to win and end a three-game postseason losing streak to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, they’ll need everything they can get not only from Josh Allen, but a defense that has started to round into form the past few weeks.

At least one key piece from that defense won’t be making the trip to Kansas City to play.

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Safety Taylor Rapp played an integral role in Buffalo’s 27-25 divisional round victory last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, breaking up a pass and becoming only the fifth player this season to intercept Lamar Jackson. During that same game, however, he suffered a hip injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the win.

Here’s what you need to know about Rapp’s playing status entering Sunday’s AFC championship game against the Chiefs:

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Taylor Rapp injury update

Rapp has been ruled out of Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with Bills coach Sean McDermott confirming the news Friday.

Rapp is still nursing the hip injury from the divisional round victory, which kept him out of practices all week.

Without Rapp, Buffalo will turn to rookie Cole Bishop, its second-round pick out of Utah in the 2024 NFL Draft.

In his second season with the Bills, the 27-year-old Rapp was injured when he lowered his shoulder and collided with teammate Damar Hamlin while attempting to tackle a scrambling Jackson in the second quarter. He limped to the blue medical tent on his team’s sideline and was taken on a cart back to the locker room.

In 14 regular-season games, Rapp finished fourth on the team in tackles, with 82, and had two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Sunday’s AFC championship will be the third playoff game he has missed in the past two seasons. Last season, he was injured while securing an interception in the final regular-season game that clinched the AFC East for the Bills against the Miami Dolphins. The injury sidelined him for both of Buffalo’s postseason games.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Rapp injury update: Bills safety out for AFC title vs. Chiefs