On Thursday night, the Buffalo Bills made the trip down to South Beach and put a beating on the Miami Dolphins, firmly establishing themselves as the front-runner in the AFC East after most analysts seemed to spend the entire offseason writing the team off and talking themselves into picking Miami or New York. Unfortunately, the win seemed to come with a price after Terrel Bernard left early.
The third-year linebacker Bernard exited the game in the 1st quarter, with what the team feared would be a serious pectoral injury. The good news is, after Terrel Bernard underwent an MRI following the Bills win on Thursday Night Football, the team determined his injury is not as severe as they initially feared. Bernard is only expected to be out for one month, according to the NFL Network's Kyle Brandt:
Through two games, Terrel Bernard leads the Bills in solo tackles with 12. He led Buffalo in that same category last year, while also adding 10 tackles for loss, 9 quarterback hits, 6.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 3 fumble recoveries. The former 3rd round pick was arguably Buffalo's best and most consistent defensive player last season, but due to an ankle injury, he missed the Bills most important game of the year, a Divisional Round loss the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bills defense continues to be impacted by costly injuries
As devastating as it may be for the Bills to have to adjust to life without Terrel Bernard for the next month or so, playing short-handed defensively has been something Buffalo has grown accustomed to over the last few seasons. Most notably, the Bills were limited to just five games from All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano last season, after Milano suffered a fractured leg in an early October loss to the Jaguars. This year, Milano started the season on the IR thanks to a training camp bicep tear.
The Bills are hopeful that Matt Milano will be able to make a return to the field in 2024, but right now, they have other concerns. Buffalo went into Thursday night's game against Miami without starting Nickel corner Taron Johnson, who was a 2nd Team All-Pro last season. The Bills were also missing rotational defensive end Dawuane Smoot, who has still yet to make his Buffalo debut after signing with the team in the offseason.
The Bills now have over a week off before they return to the field on Monday Night Football in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. From there, Buffalo goes on the road for three straight games against the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and New York Jets.
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