Getty Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano celebrates making a play against the Baltimore Ravens.
Since taking over the Buffalo Bills organization, head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have been all about bringing in the right people to build the organization around.
The pair have basically rebuilt the roster from scratch. Defensive end Jerry Hughes is the only player that predates McDermott and Beane and they’ve looked to bring in the right people as they looked to create a new culture.
Saturday’s defensive performance against the Baltimore Ravens was just another example of Buffalo’s culture as players who have struggled at times this season stepped up in some of the biggest moments.
Nickel cornerback Taron Johnson picked off Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson at the goal line and returned the interception 101-yards for a touchdown to put the Bills up 17-3. Then, although he only recorded one tackle, veteran defensive end Trent Murphy came up big with one tackle for a loss and one quarterback hit as he helped contain Jackson all night long and brought him down behind the line of scrimmage in a crucial moment of the game.
“This is a people-oriented business, and the x’s and o’s are certainly important but you gotta have the right people because to your point, it hasn’t been easy all year for a guy like Taron and he’s persevered,” McDermott said during his post-game video conference call. “Trent is the same way and there’s many others. We have other guys that want to be out there playing and there not out there playing or playing as much. But that’s where you gotta keep it about the team and it takes special people to do that because it’s certainly not easy.”
Although Murphy has been on the roster all season long, he was listed as inactive from Week 12 to Week 16 before finally playing in Buffalo’s contest against the Miami Dolphins. He also missed Buffalo’s Week 6 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
But, with Darryl Johnson out of the game on Saturday, Murphy stepped into his role and played well while recording 26 snaps and his quarterback was proud of his performance.
“Trent hasn’t been activated very often this year but to go out there and make the plays that he did and the way our defense stopped the run was…the game plan was executed to perfection,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said during his post-game video conference call.
Follow the Heavy on Bills Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors, and content!
Taron Johnson Will Be Remembered For a Long Time
Johnson has made big plays this season for the Bills.
He picked off Ben Roethlisberger during Buffalo’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 13 and returned it 51 yards for a touchdown. Johnson also finished the regular season with 94 total tackles, which was the third-highest on the team behind Jordan Poyer and Tremaine Edmunds.
What Johnson did on Saturday will be a career-highlight for the young cornerback.
“It’s just an unbelievable play,” Allen said during his post-game video conference call. “It’s one of those plays that’s going to be remembered for a really long time.”
Buffalo’s Defense is Back at Full Health
Early on this year, the Bills defense struggled but Saturday was their best performance of the season and it had a lot to do with their key players finally returning to full health.
Linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano both suffered injuries at different points of the season. Milano actually spent a few weeks on the injured reserve and Edmunds battled through a shoulder injury at the beginning of the season.
On Saturday, Edmunds tallied a team-high nine tackles, one pass deflection, and a quarterback hit. Milano finished tied for second in tackles with seven and also tallied two pass deflections in a crucial victory.
READ NEXT