New Metric Reveals Matt Prater's Crucial Role for Bills in 2025

KVA statistic highlights veteran kicker's impact during Tyler Bass's absence

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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A new analytic metric called Kick Value Added (KVA) has shed light on just how valuable veteran kicker Matt Prater was for the Buffalo Bills in the 2025 season. With starting kicker Tyler Bass sidelined for the entire year, the 41-year-old Prater stepped up and delivered a standout performance, ranking 14th in the NFL with a KVA score of 3.7485. Prater's reliability and clutch kicking, including a crucial 50-yard field goal to force overtime in the playoffs, helped stabilize the Bills' kicking game during a challenging season.

Why it matters

The Bills' kicker situation was a major question mark heading into the 2025 season with Tyler Bass's injury, but Prater's strong performance as his replacement proved crucial to the team's success. The new KVA metric provides a more nuanced way to evaluate a kicker's true impact beyond just made or missed kicks, highlighting Prater's outsized value to the Bills.

The details

According to the new KVA statistic, Prater ranked 14th in the NFL in 2025 with a score of 3.7485, reflecting his consistent and high-pressure kicking. He missed only two field goals and three extra points all season. Prater's most notable contribution was a 50-yard field goal to tie a Divisional Round playoff game against the Denver Broncos, forcing overtime. When Prater was sidelined late in the year with a thigh injury, his replacement Michael Badgley struggled, missing half of his four extra point attempts.

  • Prater stepped in as the Bills' kicker in September 2025 after Tyler Bass was sidelined for the entire season.
  • In the Divisional Round playoff game, Prater hit a crucial 50-yard field goal to tie the game and force overtime.
  • Prater's season was cut short by a thigh injury in late 2025, leading to two missed games.

The players

Matt Prater

A 41-year-old veteran kicker who stepped in for the injured Tyler Bass and delivered a standout 2025 season for the Buffalo Bills, highlighted by his clutch kicking and a top-15 ranking in the new Kick Value Added (KVA) metric.

Tyler Bass

The Bills' starting kicker who missed the entire 2025 season due to injury, leading to Prater's arrival and strong performance as his replacement.

Michael Badgley

The kicker who briefly replaced the injured Prater late in the 2025 season, struggling with missed extra points that highlighted the Bills' kicking challenges.

Brandon Beane

The Buffalo Bills' General Manager who has expressed confidence in Tyler Bass resuming kicking duties once fully recovered, though Prater's impact in 2025 remains undeniable.

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What they’re saying

“The core idea is simple: Instead of treating all makes and misses equally, KVA measures how much value a kicker actually adds (or costs) relative to league expectations from the same distances across the field.”

— Adam Fromel (FanSided)

What’s next

It seems unlikely that Matt Prater will return to Buffalo for the 2026 season, as the Bills anticipate Tyler Bass's return from injury to resume kicking duties. However, Prater's strong 2025 campaign has underlined his value and reliability, and he has not yet confirmed whether he will pursue a 20th NFL season.

The takeaway

Matt Prater's standout 2025 season with the Bills, as quantified by the new KVA metric, highlights the importance of evaluating kickers beyond just made or missed kicks. Prater's clutch performance and stabilizing presence proved crucial for Buffalo during Tyler Bass's absence, demonstrating the true value of veteran experience and reliability at the kicker position.