Total Breakdown: Sean McDermott broke down in tears when he broke the awful news about this important player and provided a heartbreaking update.
On Pittsburgh’s opening drive of the second half in the third quarter of Buffalo’s Super Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, linebacker Terrel Bernard of the Bills left the game.
Bernard suffered an ankle injury after a tackle and had to be carried off the field. He was brought back for X-rays and will not be playing for the rest of the match.
Before Bernard departed the field, a few teammates came to the cart to wish him farewell.
With 143 stops, three interceptions, and three fumble recoveries, the rookie starter’s stats are impressive. As the middle linebacker, Bernard has served as the defense’s spokesperson.
Prior to the injury, Bernard recorded three tackles and two pass breaks in the game on Sunday.
The Buffalo Bills’ injury report may not be as bad as it appeared earlier in the week, but it is still cause for concern ahead of their playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night in the AFC divisional round.
The game will not feature safety Taylor Rapp, linebacker Baylon Spector, wide receiver Gabe Davis, or cornerback Christian Benford, according to coach Sean McDermott’s announcement on Friday morning.
Positively, punter Sam Martin, linebackers Terrel Bernard and Tyrel Dodson, and cornerbacks Taron Johnson and Rasul Douglas may be able to play, though we won’t really know until 90 minutes before to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. on game day.
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Unexpectedly, McDermott also mentioned that wide receiver Stefon Diggs’ practice participation on Friday will be “limited at best” because of a foot issue. Although it is anticipated that he will play, you have to question how serious the injury is. Diggs said say he will be alright in the locker room on Friday.
The Chiefs in Kansas City, meantime, are in excellent shape as they only have one injured significant player on their roster: nose tackle Derrick Nnadi. Wide receiver Skyy Moore and offensive guard Wanya Morris are also sidelined. Bryan Cook, their safety, won’t be available either, although he hasn’t played since suffering an injury more than a month ago.
Who will start for the injured Bills instead of?
Four Bills players have already been declared out of Sunday’s playoff game against the Chiefs, including Christian Benford, 47.
Benford will be replaced by Dane Jackson at first, then Kaiir Elam will have to take over if Douglas is unable to play. Johnson told reporters that while he is still in the concussion protocol and needs to clear one more test on Saturday, he believes he will be fine to travel.
Although McDermott stated that Bernard had a shot, it still appears improbable. After being dragged off the field during last week’s game against the Steelers, he was using crutches and an air cast. X-rays came back negative, but he didn’t practice all week, so it would be a significant accomplishment if he played on Sunday.
The Bills will likely turn to AJ Klein, a veteran, to be the middle signal caller if Bernard is unable to play. After only returning to the team’s practice squad the previous week, Klein was added to the game day roster, played the majority of the game against Pittsburgh, and led the Bills with 11 tackles.
It would be crucial for Dodson to be able to return to his outside position because if he can’t, rookie Dorian Williams will most likely have to start. Tyler Matakevich, a vital special team player who is essentially limited to an emergency linebacker, would be the only other healthy linebacker.
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Trent Sherfield will again take over for Davis at wide out. As the season progressed, Davis’ primary contributions were running clear-out routes to draw attention away from Stefon Diggs and Dalton Kincaid’s coverage and blocking for the run. As we seen against the Dolphins (after Davis’ injury) and the Steelers, Sherfield is more than capable of achieving it.
Cam Lewis has taken up Rapp’s position as the third safety. If Martin is unable to play, the Bills will use recently signed punter Matt Haack, who would handle placekick holds for Tyler Bass and punts, responsibilities he previously held with Buffalo in 2021.
