Mario Williams Illness: Updates on Bills Star's Status and Return

The Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 22-17 on Nov. 12, but defensive end Mario Williams played only one snap because of an illness. However, he is ready to return.

Continue for updates.

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Williams Active vs. Patriots

Monday, Nov. 23

The Bills announced Williams is available to play against the New England Patriots.

On Saturday, the Bills announced the statuses of their injured players ahead of Monday Night Football and didn't feel the need to list Williams on the injury report.

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Ryan Comments on Williams' Status

Friday, Nov. 13

"I definitely expect Mario to be back," head coach Rex Ryan said, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. "It's an illness. What do we have 12 days? He's got to be back."

Ryan also addressed the situation after the win on Thursday, per Joe Buscaglia of WKBW in Buffalo: "Mario got sicker than a dog. He had nothing. He had no strength. Shoot, he's not dead, but he thinks he is."

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Williams' Absence Would've Had Major Impact on Bills Pass Rush

While this is likely better in the long term than a serious injury, it would be a difficult blow to the Buffalo defense if Williams was forced to miss extensive time. The former No. 1 overall pick tallied a career-high 14.5 sacks last year, the fifth time since he was drafted in 2006 that he reached double-digit totals in that category.

He seemed rejuvenated throughout much of the 2014 campaign, and he had three sacks this year before this setback.

While the Bills made a splash when they added LeSean McCoy to an offense that already included Sammy Watkins and Percy Harvin this offseason, Ryan’s teams are always built on defense. The coach’s preference for pressuring the quarterback matches Williams’ ability to rack up sacks and dominate a game from the defensive end position.

The Bills will need to find pocket pressure elsewhere if Williams doesn't return soon. Fortunately for the fans, the team has a number of candidates.

Fellow defensive end Jerry Hughes is a dynamic athlete who utilizes his speed to get to quarterbacks around the edge, and Marcell Dareus helps plug the middle and shut down opposing rushing attacks. Dareus is also more than capable of getting after the quarterback (10 sacks in 2014), and Buffalo will count on him to do just that without Williams on the field.

While the Bills boast one of the best defensive lines in football, Williams’ presence is a major reason why. He terrorizes opposing quarterbacks and often opens up holes for his teammates when offensive lines shift extra attention his way.

The Bills will need to keep him on the field if they hope to compete for a playoff spot this year.