Mike Vrabel's first Sunday Night Football as the head coach of the New England Patriots is going to be a tough one, as they take on the Bills in Buffalo in Week 5. The team has emphasized that the game will serve as a test to gauge their progress, and hopefully, we'll see more of what we saw against the Panthers last week, even if it ultimately doesn't lead to a win.
That's the universal belief going into the game, with most analysts and fans predicting the Bills will come out the victor. That looked increasingly more likely when the Patriots announced that Milton Williams had missed practice, but he was able to return to the field later in the week.
They now have even better news to report, with NFL insider Ian Rapoport revealing that Williams is expected to suit up for Sunday night, which is a massive boost to the Patriots' defensive line, especially with pass rusher K'Lavon Chaisson already ruled out.
#Patriots standout DT Milton Williams, who missed a practice this week with an ankle injury, should be good to go against the #Bills, source said. He was questionable.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 5, 2025
Milton Williams will play an even more crucial role for the Patriots' defense against the Bills
Through the first four games of the season and the first four games of his Patriots career, Williams has been a dominant player and has already proven to be worth every penny the team gave him, which was the most money in a contract in franchise history.
Despite the concerns about his production, given that he wasn't on the field as much with the Eagles as he was projected to be for the Patriots, he has exceeded expectations and taken on a leadership role in the locker room, which only makes his recorded nine combined tackles, five for a loss, three quarterback hits, and two sacks.
That production has earned him a 76.8 pass-rushing grade, and the defense will definitely need that kind of performance from Williams against one of the best mobile quarterbacks in the league, Josh Allen.
If the Patriots want any chance to sneak out with a win on Sunday night, they'll need to slow down Allen and the AFC Player of the Month, running back James Cook.
It won't be easy, but they're fortunate to have Williams suited up to make it a lot easer.