Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Oliver had a resounding sentiment from the postgame press conference podium following Buffalo’s 24-22 road win over the Chargers in Los Angeles.
“Christmas gonna be good!”
Oliver and the Bills defense closed out the final 28 seconds of the game to seal the victory following a Tyler Bass field goal that gave them the lead.
The defensive tackle had a big sack on L.A.’s backup QB Easton Stick on first down during the Chargers’ final drive, followed by a deflected second down pass and a failed series of laterals as time ran out.
Oliver was able to break through the Bolts’ offensive front to get to Stick for an electrifying second sack of the game and of the fourth quarter.
“Coach [Sean] McDermott said we need a sack to end the game, I said ‘OK!’” Oliver shared. “I had already hit the dude with the move earlier … he fell for it again. Went with it, the quarterback tried to climb the pocket, I was already on him … Took him down, so that ran time off the clock. … I already knew once I got the sack that it was over.”
Consistency in closing out games has been an area Buffalo has looked to improve in.
For Oliver’s part, the No. 9 overall first-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft has been under the microscope since the Bills selected him. Buffalo’s emphasis on player development has yielded yet another success story, as Oliver has taken the next step at the pro level to emerge as a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage.
In June of this year, the Bills signed the 26-year-old to a four-year, $68 Million extension, including a $500,000 incentive bonus in his contract if he gets eight sacks this season. An incentive he hit the play on Stick in the final minute of Saturday’s contest, making the game-closing impact the Bills need.
“Hit the incentive right before Christmas,” Oliver noted. “I told my family if I hit it, it’s going to be a nice Christmas. So, now I gotta go buy more Christmas gifts, to make sure everybody’s taken care of. … They’re going to come after Christmas, but just know, it is what it is.”
His head coach spoke highly of how the DT is handling the expectations of his contract as well.
“He’s taken it – and these are my words – but he’s taken like, ‘Hey, I’m going to show you how grateful I am for it, and I’m going to play up to that level,’” HC Sean McDermott said to the press. “And that just really says a lot about who he is as a person and how much pride he takes in his work and the job he does.”
Oliver himself was also to the point in describing his feelings on netting the game-clinching sack.
“That’s what they paid me for,” Oliver said. “Everybody, you know, when I got paid, they had a certain opinion. And I had my opinion by my own self, and I’m the type of guy who walks around with a chip on my shoulder 24/7. … I just keep on trucking.”
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