A staple cartridge is disclosed comprising a proximal end, a distal end, a cartridge deck, and a sloped nose. The cartridge deck comprises a first tissue-supporting surface extending distally to a first distal edge, a plurality of staple cavities defined in the first tissue-supporting surface, a sloped wall extending from the first tissue-supporting surface, a longitudinal slot defined in the first tissue-supporting surface and at least a portion of the sloped wall, and a second tissue-supporting surface. The sloped wall slopes from the first distal edge to a second distal edge. The sloped wall comprises a distal blocking surface. The longitudinal slot extends from the proximal end to the distal blocking surface. The second tissue-supporting surface extends from the second distal edge. The second tissue-supporting surface does not comprise staple cavities defined therein. The sloped nose is positioned distal to the second tissue-supporting surface.