'For some reason, he's underestimated:' Ed Oliver makes huge statement in Buffalo Bills season opener

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver started the 2025 season with a statement. He showed that when he’s on, he’s a game-wrecker who can elevate the Bills in the biggest moments. As a whole, the defense was incredibly underwhelming against the Ravens, but Oliver was the exception.

“It's incredible,” fellow defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa said about Oliver’s performance. “He's so explosive, so strong, and for some reason, he's underestimated all the time. But he's a dominant force, and he can just, he can really take over a game.”

“That's obviously the goal every game,” Oliver said on his 2025 debut. “You know, to make those plays, it feels good, but that, that's the objective of every game. I don't go into a game and say, 'Ah, I don't want to make any plays today, you know.' So you know that's the objective of every game.”

With Oliver, finding the consistency to his game has always been the only thing holding him back from being widely considered one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL.

“Yeah, last season was an up-and-down season for me, but towards the end I started putting it together,” Oliver said of his 2024 season. “I just think I just picked that right where I left off, honestly.”

Oliver finished Sunday’s game with a sack, a forced fumble, six tackles, three tackles for loss, and two quarterback hits. It was a dominant day and one that made it so incredibly challenging on any opposing quarterback. Josh Allen has never played against Ed Oliver in a game, but he knows his skill set and tenacity make for a dangerous combination as a defensive tackle.

“Interior pressure is by far, I think, the hardest thing for an offense and a quarterback,” Allen said. “I know the edge guys get paid a lot and they get after the quarterback a lot, but typically when you're able to step up into a clean pocket, you're living pretty good. Now,when you're needing to step up and there's nowhere to step up because of interior pressure, that makes it really tough on us. I think he's doing a great job of that, and you know, we're going to need more of that going forward.”

Oliver and the Bills will have another challenge Sunday when they take on the New York Jets. Both quarterback Justin Fields and running back Breece Hall had strong debuts against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.

“I just think that gives us an opportunity to go out there,” Oliver said. “But it goes out, it gives us another shot at it, and I think we can take that and run with that. It just gives us another shot to play against that kind of dynamic duo type of deal.”

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