ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Maybe he's trying to downplay his return to Houston. Or maybe he really is just trying not to get distracted.
Either way, rookie defensive tackle Ed Oliver will make his NFL postseason debut in his hometown of Houston as the Bills play the Texans on Wild Card weekend.
"Honestly, it's more about me locking in and staying focused and going out there and executing more so than playing in Houston. Houston is just a cherry on top, but it's really about us going out there and executing and doing our job," Oliver said.
Oliver grew up in Houston, and after high school he stayed in the area and went to the University of Houston, where the Bills drafted him out of ninth overall in 2019.
Now gets to play in his biggest game yet, where the stakes are the highest they've been so far in his pro career.
"You lose, you go home. You win, you get to keep playing. So if we go out there and lay an egg, we're gonna be at home next week. If we go out there and we execute, we get to fight again," Oliver said.
Over the course of his rookie season, OIiver has grown a lot since day one. He has 43 tackles, five sacks and was named the NFL's rookie of the week after his breakout performance in Dallas.
Now he has a chance to shine on the national stage once again as the Bills look for their first playoff win since 1995.
Among the many things he's learned, he knows how much Bills Mafia supports them and is ready to see them again this weekend.
"It's big. Like when we went to Tennessee, you see all the fans there, and you go to Miami and see all the fans there, and they kind of make you feel like you're playing at home, even when you're not at home, so it's big," Oliver said.