Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper was a no-show for the meaningless Week 18 contest against the New England Patriots for personal reasons. The major question in upstate New York this week is whether he will play against the Denver Broncos this weekend in the first round of the NFL playoffs.
Will Bills WR Cooper Appear and Play This Weekend Against Denver
Entering this week, Cooper was excused from team activities due to personal matters, and coach Sean McDermott said he did not know when he would return. This led to some questions about whether Cooper would be available when the Bills take on the Broncos this Sunday in Orchard Park, N.Y. on Wild Card Weekend.
“He has not returned at this point,” McDermott said on Monday, Jan. 6. “I would hope so [that Cooper returns]. I’m taking it one day at a time. It’s family-related, and I’ll just leave it at that out of respect for Amari.”
However, Cooper returned to practice on Wednesday, Jan. 8, and will be good to go for Sunday’s game.
Cooper has amassed almost 300 yards and has scored two touchdowns since being traded from Cleveland to Buffalo in mid-October. He provides Josh Allen with a talented, experienced receiving option. This was evident two weeks ago when the dynamic duo hooked up for a memorable 30-yard touchdown in the win over the New York Jets.
With Cooper expected to play against Denver, he figures to handle his usual starting role alongside Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.
The Bills’ offense finished the regular season ranked second in points scored. Buffalo ranked No. 4 in PFN’s Offense+ metric with a B+ grade.
The Bills’ offense ranked first in the league in points per drive and second in EPA per play before benching its starters in Week 18, with Allen’s mitigation of negative plays being his greatest area of growth. In addition to his career-low 1.2% interception rate, Allen took sacks at the second-lowest rate of any QB this season (just behind Derek Carr). In fact, his 2.8% sack rate would have led the league each of the previous three seasons.
We’re live with Coach McDermott as he meets with the media before practice.#DENvsBUF | #BillsMafia https://t.co/Df7eGLnv7C
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) January 8, 2025
Buffalo also has tremendous depth at the wide receiver position.
Last season as a member of the Browns, Cooper was limited to two catches against the Broncos. He will no doubt have his work cut out for him again on Sunday against a Denver defense that has allowed the fewest touchdowns to wide receivers all season. Denver has only surrendered 11 touchdowns in 17 games to wide receivers, captained by star corner Pat Surtain II.
The Broncos are the No. 1-ranked defense in PFN’s Defense+ metric. Denver ended up ranking first in EPA per dropback and first in EPA per rush on defense, making this one of the more well-rounded units in recent memory.
Allen and Cooper have not had much time to get into a groove. They have not worked together all that much and could use the repetitions in practice this week since Cooper was a mid-season acquisition, so it’s good news for Buffalo that the veteran wide receiver returned on Wednesday.